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PRINCETON.  N.  J. 


Division  l \ 0 

.0  0>T 


Section 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND 


THE  WORLD. 


CHARLES  CARLETON  COFFIN, 

AUTHOR  OF  “FOUR  YEARS  OF  FIGHTING,”  “ WINNING  HIS  WAY,” 
“FOLLOWING  THE  FLAG,”  ETC. 


/ 


There ’s  freedom  at  thy  grates,  and  rest 
For  Earth’s  down-trodden  and  opprest, 

A shelter  for  the  hunted  head. 

And  for  the  starved  laborer  toil  and  bread. 

Bryant. 


FULL  Y ILL  USTRA  TED. 


BOSTON: 

FIELDS,  OSGOOD,  & CO., 

SUCCESSORS  TO  TICKNOR  AND  FIELDS. 

1869. 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1869,  by 
FIELDS,  OSGOOD,  & CO., 

tlie  Clerk’s  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 

/ 


University  Press  : Welch,  Bigelow,  & Co., 
Cambridge. 


TO  MY  WIFE 


WHO  MADE  WITH  ME  THE  TOUR  OF  THE  WORLD, 
THIS  VOLUME 


IS  MOST  AFFECTIONATELY  INSCRIBED., 


PREFACE. 


THE  last  rail  lias  been  laid  between  the  Atlantic 
and  the  Pacific,  and  the  locomotive  runs  from 
ocean  to  ocean. 

A few  months  hence  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean 
and  Red  Seas  will  mingle  together  through  the  Suez 
Canal,  and  a new  way  for  trade  and  travel  will  thus 
be  completed  round  the  world. 

This  volume  contains  notes  of  observation  along  the 
route  in  Egypt,  India,  Malacca,  China,  Japan,  and  Cali- 
fornia. So  much  has  been  written  in  regard  to  Europe, 
that  the  lines  of  travel  only  have  been  indicated  be- 
tween London  and  Alexandria. 

Observation  in  so  large  a field,  embracing  so  many 
objects,  has  compelled  us  to  abridge  the  material  at  our 
command  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume. 

We  have  barely  alluded  to  matters  of  great  moment. 
Our  aim  has  been  to  bring  before  the  reader  such  facts, 
scenes,  and  incidents  as  will  enable  him  to  obtain  a 
comprehensive  idea  of  the  countries  with  which  we 
are  to  have  intimate  relations  in  the  future,  and  to 
point  out  routes  of  travel  to  those  who  contemplate  a 
voyage  around  the  world. 

C.  C.  C. 

Bostox,  May  10,  1869. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

KEW  YORK  TO  MARSEILLES. 

Leaving  New  York.  — Steamer  Persia. — War  in  Europe.  — Important 
Events.  — Reform  Movement  in  England.  — Riot  at  Hyde  Park.  — Meet- 
ing at  Guildhall.  — People  in  Earnest.  — Affairs  on  the  Continent.  — 
Visit  to  Paris.  — Victor  Emanuel  at  Venice.  — Evacuation  of  Rome  by 
French  Troops.  — Coronation  at  Pesth.  — Routes  of  Travel  through 
Europe.  — Rural  Scenes  in  France. — From  Paris  to  Marseilles.  — Val- 
ley of  the  Rhone.  — Marseilles  at  Christmas.  — Scenes  in  the  Harbor.  . 1 

CHAPTER  II. 

ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN. 

The  Great  Steamship  Companies.  — Peninsular  and  Oriental.  — Message- 
ries  Impdriales.  — Austrian  Lloyds.  — Routes  across  the  Mediterranean. 

— Italian  Line.  — Greek  Line.  — Tide  of  Travel.  — Departure  from  Mar- 
seilles. — The  Euphrates.  — Her  Cargo.  — Straits  of  Bonifacio.  — Strom- 
boli.  — Scvlla  and  Charybdis.  — Across  the  Adriatic.  — Morea.  — Na- 
varino.  — Gulf  of  Coran.  — Ancient  Spartans.  — A Hermit.  — A Dream 
of  the  Past.  — Arrival  at  Pirams.  — Salamis.  — Getting  Ashore.  — Noble 
Greeks.  — Athens.  — Cretan  Refugees.  — To  Constantinople.  — Syrian 
Coast. 10 

CHAPTER  III. 

MODERN  EGYPT. 

Approach  to  Alexandria.  — The  Harbor.  — The  Orient. — Scenes  in  the 


City.  — The  Old  and  the  New.  — The  Viceroy.  — Cotton  Culture.  — 
Railroads.  — Sons  of  the  Pasha.  — Over  the  Delta.  — Irrigation.  — The 
Nile 23 


CHAPTER  IV. 

CAIRO. 

Hotel  du  Nil. — Houses  in  the  City.  — Women  of  Egypt.  — Tradesmen. 

— Waiters.  — Donkeys.  — Ploughing.  — Ramazan.  — Advancement.  — 
Missions.  — Persecutions  of  Christians.  — Future  Prospect.  . . .32 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


viii 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  DELTA  OF  THE  NILE. 

The  View  from  the  Bluffs.  — Heliopolis.  — The  Citadel.  — Mamelukes.  — 
Mehemit  Ali.  — Pyramids.  — Arab  Sheik.  — Bedouins.  — Y ankee  Doodle.  41 

CHAPTER  VI. 

THE  SUEZ  CANAL. 

The  Project.  — M.  Lesseps.  — Charter  of  the  Company.  — The  Isthmus.  — 

Old  Canals.  — Pharaoh  Necho.  — Bonaparte.  — Commercial  Enterprise. 

— Opposition  of  England.— The  Country.  — Commencement  of  the  Work. 

— Size  of  the  Canal.  — Bay  of  Pelusium.  — Manufactured  Stone.  — Port 
Said.  — Excavators.  — Difficulties  encountered.  — Lake  Menzalah.  — 
Lake  Ballah.  — Lake  Timseh.  — Ismalia.  — Salt  Basin. — Children  of 
Israel.  — Suez.  — Capital  of  the  Company.  — Lottery.  — Expenditures.  47 

CHAPTER  VII. 

FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 

Easter  Sunday.  — A Gala-Day.  — Scenes  in  the  City.  — Decay  of  Moham- 
medan Faith.  — Overland  Passengers.  — Steamer  Baroda.  — Starting 
for  India.  — Gulf  of  Suez.  — Sinai  and  Bed  Sea.  — Pilgrims  to  Mecca. 

— Mocha.  — Dangerous  Navigation.  — Light-houses.  — Island  of  Perim. 

— How  the  English  obtained  it.  — The  Gate  of  Tears.  — Sous  of  Cush. 

— Aden. — Natives.  — Scenes  in  the  Harbor.  — Hot  Weather.  — The 

Punka.  — The  Orchestra  of  the  Steamer 62 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

BOMBAY. 

View  of  Harbor.  — Byculla  Hotel.  — Population  of  City.  — European  Sec- 
tion. — Native  Quartet’s.  — Shigrams.  — Native  Oxen.  — Suburbs  of  the 
City.  — Parsees.  — Street  Scenes.  — W ashingup.  — Children. — Jewelry. 

— Population  of  India.  — Policemen.  — Gods  in  the  Wall.  — Toddy- 

Seller.  — Currency.  — Elephants.  — Old  Temples.  — The  Census.  — 
Origin  of  the  Parsees.  — Their  Towers  of  Silence.  . . . .80 

• 

CHAPTER  IX. 

BRITISH  INDIA. 

John  Bull’s  Farm.  — Mountains. — Rivers.  — Cities  of  India.  — Popula- 
tion. — Governor-General.  — East  India  Company.  — Opium.  . . 93 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  RAILWAYS  OF  INDIA. 

Facilities  for  Travel.  — Great  Indian  Peninsular  Railway.  — Labor  of 
Building.  — Class  Cars.  — Effect  of  Railways  on  Caste  and  Idolatry.  . 99 

CHAPTER  XI. 

HISTORY,  PHILOSOPHY,  AND  RELIGION  OF  THE  HINDOOS. 

Hindoos. — Aborigines  of  India.  — The  Vedas." — Origin  of  the  Hindoo 
Nation.  — The  Aryans.  — Caste.  — Brahmans.  — Philosophical  Age.  . 108 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


IX 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THROUGH  THE  DECCAN. 

The  Ghats.  — Nassick.  — Hindoo  Water-Carrier.  — Jungles.  — General 
Features  of  Central  India.  — Gorgeous  Apparel.  — Silver  Ornaments. 

— Heat.  — Nagpore.  — Residency  Hotel 116 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

RIDING  IN  A DAK. 

The  Dak.  — Romantic  Ride.  — Kamptel.  — Micawber  Philosophy.  — 
Karyea.  — Thrilling  Story  of  the  Mutiny.  — Treatment  of  the  Natives. 

— The  Ryots.  — Tigers.  — Seonee  — Tarboots.  — Obstinate  Driver.  — 


Moonshee.  — Chaputies.  — Mail  Carts.  — Effect  of  the  Moon.  — Ner- 
budda  River 124 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

IN  THE  HEART  OF  INDIA. 

Jubbulpore.  — Valley  of  the  Nerbudda.  — Religion  of  the  Hindoos. — 
Junction  of  Jubbulpore  and  Peninsular  Railroad.  — Allahabad. — Great 
Eastern  Hotel 140 


CHAPTER  XV. 

SCENES  IN  ALLAHABAD. 

Shaving. — Junction  of  the  Jumna  and  Ganges.  — Situation  of  Allahabad. 

— Ancient  Pillar.  — Market-Place.  — Deep  Well.  — Chusora  Bagh.  — 

The  Future  of  Allahabad.  — Population.  — Boston  Ice 147 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

NATIVE  SCHOOLS. 

Missionary  Operations.  — Praying  by  Machinery.  — Desire  for  Education. 

— Rev.  Mr.  Walsh.  — School.  — Proficiency  of  Mr.  Walsh’s  Pupils. — 

Hindoo  Cosmogony.  — Getting  at  the  Truth 154 

CHAPTElf  XVII. 

FROM  ALLAHABAD  TO  BENARES. 

Country  North  of  Allahabad.  — Its  Fertility.  — Density  of  Population.  — 
Mirzapoor.  — Rev.  Mr.  Lambert.  — British  Goods. — Temple  of  Kali. — 
Tyranny  of  Caste.  — Servants.  — Mogul  Serai.  — Benares  Station. — 
Antiquity  of  Benares.  — Temples  and  Mosques.  — Victoria  Hotel.  . . 163 

CHAPTER  XVin. 

THE  CITY  OF  BENARES. 

A Morning  Ride  through  the  City.  — Care  for  Birds.  — Monkey  Pagoda. 

— Pranks  of  the  Monkeys.  — Benares  a Holy  City.  — Bathing  in  the 
Ganges.  — Burning  the  Dead.  — Ghats.  — Pagodas.  — Palaces.  — Power 
of  the  Brahmans  waning.  — Charming  View.  — A Glance  at  the  Past. 

— Golden  Pagoda.  — Sacred  Well.  — Shiva.  — Temple  of  Una  Poorena.  170 


X 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  BABOOS. 

Man  Mundil.  — Beautiful  Silk  Goods.  — The  Dealings  of  England  with 
the  Hindoos.  — Snake-Charmers.  — Samath.  — Gautama.  — Buddha.  . 181 


CHAPTER  XX. 

DOWN  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  GANGES. 

The  Bengalese.  — The  Santhals.  — Moorshedabad.  — Suraja  Dowla.  — 
Patna.  — Bankapore.  — Plassey.  — Lord  Clive.  — Turning-Point  in  His- 
tory  190 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

OUR  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  CALCUTTA. 

Arrival.  — Scene  in  the  Harbor.  — A Bath.  — A Wedding  Procession. — 

The  Mission  Home. — Miss  Brittan’s  School.  — Moral  Battle-field. — 
Native  Society.  — Hindoo  Newspapers.  — Domestic  Life.  — Educated 
Natives.  — Moral  Leverage 195 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 

Dr.  McLeod’s  Visit.  — Translation  of  the  Bible.  — Obstacles. — Native 
Converts.  — Roman  Catholic  Church.  — Exorcising  of  Devils.  . . 205 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 

LIFE  IN  INDIA. 

The  Season.  — Hot  Period.  — Rainy  Months.  — Monsoons.  — Swarming 
of  Insects.  — White  Ants.  — Cool  Season.  — Cyclones.  — Famines  of 
1770  and  1866.  — Burning  of  the  Dead.  — Government  Buildings. — 


Style  of  Living. — Ride  in  a Shigram 209 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

ACROSS  the'bay  of  bf.ngal. 

The  Clan  Alpine.  — Leaving  Calcutta.  — Down  the  Hoogly.  — Scenes  on 
the  River.  — Explosion.  — Terrible  Scene.  — Burial  at  Sea.  . . .217 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

THE  SPICE  ISLANDS. 

Andaman  Islands.  — Coast  of  Burmah.  — Cocoa  Islands.  — Malay  Penin- 
sula.— Insect  Life.  — Province  of  Wellesely.  — Population.  . .221 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

PENANG. 

Phosphorescence  of  the  Sea.  — The  Town.  — Tn  a Sampan. — Duck  Ped- 
ler.  — Prince  of  Wales  Hotel.  — Spice  Trade.  — Chinese  at  Penang. — 
Down  the  Coast.  — The  Dorian 226 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


XI 


CHAPTER  XXVIL 

SINGAPORE. 

Town  of  Malacca.  — Arrival  at  Singapore.  — Steamers.  — Harbor.  — 
Climate.  — Fruits.  — Population.  — Scenes  in  the  City.  — Whampoa’s 
Garden.  — Victoria  Regias.  — Fan-Palm. 233 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

LIFE  IN  MALACCA. 

Fire-Flies.  — The  Natives.  — Ride  to  Selita.  — Rank  Vegetation.  — Tigers. 

— Gutta-Percha.  — Pepper  Culture.  — Climate.  — White  Ants.  . . 242 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

FROM  SINGAPORE  TO  HONG  KONG. 

Chinese  Passengers.  — Their  Customs  and  Habits.  — Curiosity.  — Gam- 
bling. — Pride.  — Expressing  an  Opinion.  — Approaching  Hong  Kong. . 247 

CHAPTER  XXX 

GEOGRAPHY  AND  HISTORY  OF  CHINA. 

China  compared  with  the  United  States.  — The  Flowery  Kingdom.  — 


Early  History.  — Chronology.  — Dynasties.  — Credible  History.  — Euro- 
peans in  China. 253 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


IIONG  KONG. 

The  Town  from  the  Harbor.— The  Island.  — Shipping.  — Our  Admiral.  — 
Hong  Kong  Hotel.  — Sunday  Morning.  — Church  Services.  — Ride  in  a 
Sedan 260 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

OPIUM. 

The  Saloons.  — Preparation  of  the  Drug.  — Smokers.  — Beginning  and 
Growth  of  the  Traffic.  — War  with  England. — Opinion  of  Englishmen 
concerning  the  Traffic.  . 267 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

FROM  HONG  KONG  TO  CANTON. 


American  Steamers. — Finger  Nails. — Passengers.  — Bogue  Forts. — 
Whampoa  Junks.  — First  Sight  of  Canton.  — Scene  in  Harbor.  — Family 
Boats.  — White  Cloud  Hills.  — Foreigners 273 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  CONFUCIUS. 

His  Birth.  — Early  Life.  — Elevation  to  Office.  — Woman’s  Charms.  — 

His  Poetry.  — Annotation  of  the  Classics.  — Foundation  of  Political 
System .279 


XU 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

SOUTHERN  CHINA. 

The  Eighteen  Provinces.  — Canton  Rivev.  — The  Country.  — Cities.  — 
Exports.  — Manufactures.  — Silk  Culture.  — Macao.  — Cooly  Trade.  . 283 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

A RAMBLE  IN  CANTON. 

Streets.  — Houses.  — Goods.  — Provisions.  — What  the  People  eat.  — For- 
eign Devils.  — Old  Hairy.  — Musicians.  — Apothecary.  — Small  Feet.  . 290 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE  TEMPLE  OF  THE  OCEAN  BANNER. 

Island  of  Honam.  — Approach  to  the  Temple.  — The  Holy  Umbrella. — 

The  Three  Precious  Ones.  — Buddhist  Worship.  — Tauist  Religion. — 


Old  Boy.  — Transmigration.  — Luck-Blocks 297 

CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

MORAL  FORCES. 

Fresbyterian  Mission.  — Medical  Mission.  — Dr.  Preston.  — Dr.  Iveer. — 
Scene  in  the  Hospital.  — Visit  to  the  Chapel.  — The  Congregation. — 
French  Catholics.  — Their  Cathedral 304 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

ON  THE  CANTON  RIVER. 

In  a Sampan.  — Pigeon  English.  — Fishing  with  Cormorants.  — Flower- 
Boats.  — Dinner-Party.  — Duck-Boats.  — Benevolent  Societies.  — Mu- 
tual-Aid Companies 


CHAPTER  XL. 

UP  THE  COAST  OF  CHINA. 

Tho  Erl-King.  — Swatow.  — River  Han.  — Fishing-Boats.  — Emigration. 

— Amoy.  — Foochow. — Black  Tea.  — Fu-kion.  — Timber.  — Junks.  . 316 

CHAPTER  XLI. 

APPROACH  TO  SHANGHAI!. 

The  Wusung. — Meadows.  — The  Country.  — Steamers  and  Ships. — 
Shanghae.  — The  Hen  Fever.  — Gardens  of  China.  — Admiral  Parker. 

— Growth  of  Shanghae.  — Landing.  — Astor  House 322 


CHAPTER  XLII. 

IN  THE  CITY  OF  SHANGHAE. 

View  from  the  Hotel.  — Scenes  in  the  Harbor.  — Transportation.  — Delta 
of  the  Yangtse.  — Health.  — Missionaries. — Tea-Houses  and  Shops. — 
Flowery  Names.  — Inscriptions.  — The  Faith  and  Charity  Shop.  — Wor- 
ship of  Ancestors.  — Offerings  to  the  Dead 328 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


X1U 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 

FUXG  SHUEY. 

A Land  of  Superstitions.  — Foggy  Weather.— Meaning  of  Fung  Shuey. 

— Sien  Sangs.  — Stroll  through  the  City.  — Disturbance  of  Fung  Shuey. 

— Opposition  to  Innovation.  — Objection  to  Railroads.  — Governor-Gen- 
eral Tseng.  — Gold-Mines.  — Strength  and  Weakness  of  Government.  . 338 

CHAPTER  XLIV. 

FESTIVALS. 

Native  Watchmen. — Musquitoes.  — Five  Emperors.  — Demons  of  Dark- 
ness. — Climate. — Display  on  the  River.  — Bookstores.  — The  Poet 
Lin.  — Close  of  Festival 348 


CHAPTER  XLV. 

ROMANISM  IN  CHINA. 

The  Soochow  Road.  — Chow  Chow.  — Graves.  — Children’s  Tomb. — 
Foundling  Hospital.  — Jesuits.  — What  they  are  doing.  — Restoration 
of  Property.  — Ceremonial.  — Number  of  Catholic  Priests.  — Protes- 
tant Religion. — Progress. 


CHAPTER  XL VI. 

. CP  THE  YANGTSE. 

Size  of  the  River.  — Inundation.  — Avenues  for  Trade.  — Steamers.-*— 
Kiang  Loon.  — Kiang  Yang.  — The  Country.  — Chin  Kiang.  — Grand 
Canal.  — Salt  Port.  — Silver  Coin.  — Timber  Rafts.  — Nankin.  — Late 
Rebellion.  — Little  Orphan  Island.  — Poyang  Lake.  — Merchants  of 
China 363 


CHAPTER  XL VII. 

CENTRAL  CHINA. 

Whang-choo.  — Military  Encampment.  — Soldiers.  — Military  Tactics.  — 
Hankow.  — The  three  Cities.  — Contrast  between  Old  and  New  Civiliza- 
* tions.  — Foreigners.  — Wu-chung.  — Bishop  Williams.  — Yamun  of  the 
Governor-General.  — School.  — Women  of  China.  — Their  Degraded 
Condition. 374 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

COMPETITI V E EXAMINATION. 

When  Established.  — Theory  of  the  System.  — University  Buildings.  — 
Temple  of  Perfect  Justice.  — Degrees.  — Students.  — Jury.  — Ovations. 

— Successful  Competitors.  — Democratic  Principle.  — Reverence  paid 
to  the  Classics.  — Students  on  a Lark.  — Chop-Sticks.  — Visit  to  the 
Governor 383 


XIV 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

CULTIVATION  OF  TEA. 

Export  from  Hankow.  — Qualities  of  Tea.  — Its  Use  in  China.  — Early 
Trade. — Its  Consumption  in  the  United  States.  — Green  Tea.  — The 
Shrub.  — Gathering  the  Leaves.  — Preparation  for  Market.  — Packing. 

— Tasting.  — Tea-Saloons.  — Value  of  Exports.  — Commercial  Relations.  393 

CHAPTER  L. 

THE  FUTURE  OF  CHINA. 

Opinion  of  Mr.  Burlingame.  — University  of  Pekin.  — Official  Position  of 
Foreigners.  — Reactionary  Party.  — Ancient  Policy  of  the  Govern- 
ment. — What  Foreigners  ask.  — Physical  Force  of  England.  — Position 
of  the  Chinese.  — Introduction  of  Steamers.  — Attitude  of  California 
and  Oregon  toward  Chinese 402 

CHAPTER  LI. 

NORTHERN  CHINA. 

When  to  visit  Pekin.  — Cheefoo.  — Tientsin.  — Chinese  Carts.  — Pass- 


ports. — Description  of  Pekin.  — The  Great  Wall.  — Passage  to  Japan. 

— In  a Typhoon 413 


CHAPTER  LII. 

APPROACH  TO  NAGASAKI. 

The  Harbor. — Fortifications.  — Island  of  Pappenberg. — Intercourse  of 
Foreign  Nations  with  the  Japanese.  — Xavier. — The  Jesuits.  — The 
Islands 418 


CHAPTER  Lffl. 

WESTERN  JAPAN. 

Nagasaki.  — A Shopkeeper.  — Japanese  Ladies.  — Baths.  — Tea-Houses. 

— Education.  — Minstrels.  — Japanese  Art.  — Yokohama.  — Conserva- 
tive Japanese.  — Mysteries  of  Crinoline 424 

CHAPTER  LIV. 

THROUGH  THE  INLAND  SEA.' 

Lovely  Morning.  — Natural  Arch.  — Persecution  of  Christians  by  Bud- 
dhist Priests.  — Coast  of  Kuisiu.  — Town  of  Kokura. — Japanese 
Graves. — A Funeral  Procession.  — Sinto  Belief.  — Spiritual  Festival. 

— The  Tokaido.  — Town  of  Chofu.  — Japanese  Mode  of  Travelling.  — 

A Charming  Panorama 431 


CHAPTER  LY. 

• HIOGO. 

Countless  Sails.  — Rice-Fields.  — Htogo,  the  Port  of  Osaka.  — Manufac- 
tures and  Trade.  — Country  around  Osaka.  — Climate.  — Harbor.  — 
Going  Ashore.  — Looking  at  Curiosities.  — Tea-House  and  Gardens.  — 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


XV 


Temple  of  the  Sun.  — Worshippers. — Japanese  Honor.  — Social  Hab- 
its. — Hats.  — Picnic.  — Coolies.  — Population.  — Fusiyama.  — Bay  of 
Yedo. — Villages 440 


CHAPTER  LYI. 

YOKOHAMA. 

t 

Situation  of  Yokohama.  — Harbor. — Hotel  d’Europe.  — Curio  Street. — 
Houses  and  Shops.  — Shopman.  — Bronzes.  — Photographs.  — Foreign 
Trade  of  Yokohama.  — Government  of  Japan.  — The  Tycoon. — Civil 
War  in  Japan. — The  Damios.  — The  Flora  of  Japan.  — Kamakura,  its 
Location,  Temples,  and  Shrines.  — Temple  of  Hachiman.  — Dia-boots.  448 

CHAPTER  LYIL 

YEDO. 

The  Capital  of  Japan.  — How  to  visit  it.  — Yakonins.  — Situation  of  Yedo. 


— The  Castle.  — Soto-Siro. — Bridges  and  Streets.  — Population  of 
Yedo.  — Description  of  City 458 


CHAPTER  LVIII. 

FROM  JAPAN  TO  CALIFORNIA. 

Pacific  Mail  Company.  — Freight. — Chinese  Passengers.  — Magnificent 
Steamers.  — Leaving  Yokohama. — Search  for  Deserters.  — Passen- 
gers. — The  Voyage.  — Our  Native  Land 464 

CHAPTER  LIX. 

CALIFORNIA. 

Aladdin’s  Lamp.  — Discovery  of  Gold.  — Size  of  California.  — Develop- 
ment of  the  State.  — Culture  of  the  Grape.  — Silk  Culture.  — Educa- 
tion.— Lincoln  School. — Churches.  — Fertility  of  the  Country.  — Its 
Fruits.  — A Paradise 468 


CHAPTER  LX. 

YOSEMITE. 

The  Big  Trees  and  Yosemite  Valley.  — Ride  to  Mariposa.  — Hatch’s. — 

In  the  Saddle.  — Arrival  at  Clark’s. — Digger  Indians.  — Big  Trees. 

— On  Horseback  in  a Tree.  — Calaveras  Grove — A Description  of  the 
Big  Trees.  — A Ride  through  the  Woods. — Nature’s  Cathedral. — 
Situation  of  Yosemite.  — View  of  the  Valley.  — Distances  and  Eleva- 
tions. — Mr.  Hutchins’s  Hotel.  — El  Capitan.  — Bridal  Veil.  — Yosemite 
Falls.  — Indian  Names.  — North  and  South  Domes 476 

CHAPTER  LXI. 

SALT  LAKE. 

Approaching  the  City. — Early  Settlement.  — Forbidding  Prospect. — 
Covenant  at  Nauvoo.  — Emigration  to  Salt  Lake.  — Church  Police. — 
Mormon  Law.  — Tabernacle  Square.  — Inside  and  Outside.  — The 

Harem.  — Brigham’s  Wife  and  Concubines 491 

6 


XVI 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  LXII. 

THE  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 

Central  and  Union  Pacific  Railroad  Companies.  — Work  commenced.  — 
Hard  Work  for  Engineers.  — Difficulties  encountered 501 


CHAPTER  LXIII. 

CONCLUSION. 

Completion  of  the  Pacific  Railroad.  — America  the  Teacher  of  the  Na- 
tions.   506 


SUPPLEMENT. 

The  Best  Route.  — Time  for  Starting.  — Distance  across  the  Continent. — 
Trunks.  — Baggage.  — Money.  — Pacific  Mail  Steamers.  — Secret  of 
Travelling.  — Books  to  be  read.  — Distance  from  Yokohama  to  Shang- 
hae.  — Up  to  Yangtse. — To  Pekin.  — Down  the  Coast.  — Steamship 
Lines  to  India.  — Burmah.  — Ceylon.  — In  India.  — To  Suez.  — Pales- 
tine. — Cost  of  Journey.  ...  509 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Yosemite  Falls  . 

Frontispiece. 

A Modern  Rebecca 

Page  26 

Mother  and  Child  . 

. 27 

Ismail  Pasha 

. 

29 

Irrigation  . 

. 31 

A Ready  Writer  . 

35 

Easter  Sunday  . 

. 63 

Going  Home  . 

65 

Bound  for  Mecca 

. 70 

Natives  of  Aden  . 

75 

Rather  Warm  .• 

. 78 

The  Jolly  Mariners  . 

79 

At  full  Speed  . 

. 83 

Washing  up  . 

86 

Jewels  and  Ornaments 

. 87 

Toddy  and  Devotion  . 

89 

Head  Work 

. 104 

House  in  India 

111 

Taking  a Drink 

. 117 

Interesting  Discovery 

119 

A Nagpore  Coach  . 

. 121 

Our  Quarters 

122 

Getting  under  Way 

. 125 

A Steady  Team  . 

128 

Dead  Set  . 

. 129 

The  Master  Race 

131 

A Man-Eater 

. 133 

Midnight  Festival 

134 

Stirring  up  a Hindoo 

. 135 

Protection  against  Sun- 

stroke  . . . . 

139 

Raising  the  Wind  . 

. 146 

Mothers  of  India. 

151 

Praying  by  Hand 

. 155 

Praying  by  Water 

156 

On  the  Sly 

. 172 

Disputed  Territory 

173 

The  Sacred  Stream  . . 174 

Wedding  Procession  . . 196 

Casting  out  Devils  . . . 208 

“No  have  Eyes,  no  can  see”  227 
Poultry  Boy  ....  228 
Malay  House  ....  230 

Fruits  of  Malacca  . . . 236 

Avenue  at  Singapore  . . 239 

Fan-Palm 241 

Malayan  Lady  . . . 243 

Chop-Sticks  ....  248 
Expressing  an  Opinion  . 250 

Chinese  Servant  . . . 255 

“Thereby  hangs  a Tail”  264 
How  we  go  to  Church  . . 266 

Opium-Smokers  . . . 272 

Natural  Ornaments  . . 273 

A Cooly 288 

An  Open  Countenance  . . 291 

Going  to  Market  . . . 292 

The  Old  Hairy.  . . . 294 

The  Orchestra  . . . 295 

Sole  of  a Chinese  Shoe  . 296 
Transmigration  . . . 302 

The  Grinders  ....  303 
Flower-Boat  ....  312 

Duck-Boat 314 

Fast  Friends.  . . . 318 

Battle  of  Shanghae  . . 327 

Chinese  Coach  . . . 329 

Remembering  Departed 
Friends  ....  337 

Fung  Shuey  ....  341 
“Black  Spirits  and  White”  349 
Little  Orphan  Island  . . 370 

One  of  the  Upper  Class  . 381 

Chin  Chin 391 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


xviii 


The  Governor 

392 

The  Young  Plant 

. 396 

Transplanting 

. . • 

396 

Firing  Tea. 

. 

. 398 

Packing  . 

398 

Preparing  for  a 

Smoke  . 

. 425 

Japanese  Ladies 

. 

427 

Minstrels  . 

. 

. 428 

The  Mystery  of 

Crinoline 

430 

Scenery  on  the 
Coast  . 

Western 

432 

The  Cango  . 

• . 

. 437 

Pleased  to  see  us  . . 443 

Temple  to  the  Sun  Goddess  444 
Well  Protected  . . . 445 

Porter 446 

The  Pannier  ....  451 

Stotsbashi 453 

Water-Cure  ....  467 

One  of  the  Big  Trees  . . 479 

South  Dome  ....  483 

Equipped  for  Yosemite  . . 485 

El  Cafitan  ....  487 

The  Tabernacle  . . - 495 


MAPS. 


Routes  on  the  Mediterranean 

The  Delta  of  the  Nile 

Elevation  of  the  Suez  Canal 

Overland  Route  East 

India 

From  India  to  China 

Southern  China  

Canton  and  Adjacent  Islands 

Northern  China  

Western  Japan 

The  Inland  Sea 

The  Eastern  Shore  

Yosemite  Valley 

Pacific  Railroad  


13 

49 

53 

67 

100 

225 

261 

275 

362 

419 

439 

459 

486 

603 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  I. 

FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  MARSEILLES. 

IT  was  a hot,  sweltering  day,  the  25th  of  July,  1866, 
when,  accompanied  by  my  wife,  we  sailed  down  the 
harbor  of  New  York  on  the  steamer  Persia  of  the  Cynard 
line,  bound  for  Europe,  not  then  anticipating  that  our 
journey  would  extend  around  the  globe. 

The  war  between  Austria,  on  the  one  side,  and  Prussia 
allied  with  Italy,  on  the  other,  had  come  on  almost  as 
suddenly  as  a cyclone  of  the  Indian  Ocean.  The  battle 
of  Sadowa'  had  been  fought,  and  it  was  feared  that,  instead 
of  its  leading  to  a cessation  of  hostilities,  it  was  but  the 
beginning  of  a struggle  which  might  involve  all  Europe. 

It  was  apparent,  however,  when  we  arrived  at  Liver- 
pool, that  the  strife  was  at  an  end ; but  there  were  other 
important  events  transpiring  abroad  interesting  to  an 
American  journalist. 

In  England  the  reform  movement,  which  has  since  re-  ■ 
suited  in  the  extension  of  the  franchise  throughout  the 
United  Kingdom,  was  just  beginning.  Mr.  Gladstone,  in 
Parliament,  had  brought  forward  a bill  that  had  been 
defeated,  and  which  defeat  had  swept  Earl  Russell’s  min- 
istry out  of  office.  Lord  Derby  was  appointed  Premier, 
and  Disraeli  Chancellor  of  the  Exchequer.  The  people 
were  greatly  excited  over  the  arbitrary  act  of  the  govern- 
l x 


2 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ment  in  preventing  them  by  an  armed  force  from  holding 
a public  meeting  in  Hyde  Park. 

Blood  had  been  shed.  The  temper  of  the  people  was 
rising.  Reform  clubs  were  parading  the  streets  of  Lon- 
don at  night  with  lanterns  and  torches.  Placards  and 
handbills,  distributed  to  the  crowd,  called  upon  them  to 
remember  that  they  were  Britons,  that  the  time  had  come 
when  they  must  assert  their  rights  or  lose  the  liberties 
then  enjoyed. 

The  night  after  our  arrival  in  London  a great  meeting 
was  held  in  the  Guild  Hall,  presided  over  by  the  Lord 
Mayor.  There  was  a dense  crowd  in  the  dusty  old  hall, 
at  one  end  of  which  were  two  huge  wooden  figures  of 
Gog  and  Magog,  more  hideous  than  the  Hindoo  Jugger- 
naut. There  was  a mightier  crowd  outside  the  doors,  — 
workmen  from  Southwark  and  Clerkenwell,  fishwomen 
from  Billingsgate  and  St.  Giles,  — shouting  for  Glad- 
stone and  Bright,  and  joining  in  the  chorus  of  “ John 
Brown  ” and  “ Tramp,  tramp,  tramp,  the  boys  are  march- 
ing.” 

The  people  were  in  earnest  for  an  enlargement  of  the 
franchise,  but  they  were  in  thraldom  to  rank,  title,  and 
privilege.  The  moneyed  power  of  the  realm  was  against 
them,  as  also  Church  and  State  and  the  precedents  of 
English  history.  Westminster  Abbey,  with  its  tattered 
banners  of  the  Order  of  the  Bath  hanging  from  the  lofty 
roof,  covered  witli  the  dust  of  centuries ; the  tombs  of 
the  kings  in  the  Confessor’s  Chapel ; the  buff  breeches 
of  the  West  End  footmen ; the  Lord  Chancellor’s  wig ; 
the  golden  bawbles  in  the  jewel-room  of  the  Tower ; 
Oxford ; the  mighty  enginery  of  an  Established  Church, 
— all  were  drags  and  blocks  retarding  and  impeding  the 
movement.  It  was  an  interesting  moment  in  the  life 
of  a great  nation,  big  with  results  as  yet  unmeasured. 
But  from  that  hour  the  march  has  been  towards  democ- 


FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  MARSEILLES. 


3 


racy.  Carlyle  sees  in  the  distance  only  the  plunge  of 
Niagara,  while  the  friends  of  the  measure  believe  that 
it  will  be  a crown  of  glory  to  the  nation. 

Upon  the  Continent  Prussia  was  commencing  the 
consolidation  of  the  German  Empire,  while  Austria,  al- 
though she  had  won  Custoza,  was  preparing  to  accept  the 
situation  into  which  she  had  been  forced  by  her  defeat 
at  Sadowa,  yielding  her  former  supremacy  in  German 
affairs  on  the  one  lxand,  and  on  the  other  retiring  from 
Venetia. 

After  visiting  Paris,  and  spending  a few  weeks  in 
Switzerland,  we  reach  Venice  in  season  to  witness  its 
evacuation  by  the  Austrians,  — to  see  their  last  parade 
on  the  Grand  Piazza,  and  hear  the  parting  salute  resound- 
ing along  the  water-ways  of  that  wonderful  old  city. 
Then  upon  the  heel  of  their  departure  we  behold  the 
entrance  of  the  troops  of  Italy,  received  with  exultant 
shouts  and  the  wildest  demonstrations  of  gladness,  — 
with  clanging  bells,  booming  cannon,  the  decoration  of 
old  palaces  by  day  and  their  illumination  by  night,  — 
avenues  and  arches  blooming  with  banners,  while  the 
people,  crazy  with  joy,  embrace  each  other,  dance,  shout, 
weep,  and  bless  the  Holy  Virgin  for  hearing  their  sup- 
plications and  granting  deliverance  from  their  oppres- 
sors ! 

Victor  Emanuel  comes,  and  there  is  a revival  of  the 
gorgeous  pageantry  of  former  days,  when  Venice  was 
mistress  of  the  seas,  when  to  her  bazaars  came  the  mer- 
chandise of  all  climes,  and  her  merchants  were  princely 
senators. 

But  it  is  not  our  intention  to  dwell  upon  events  trans- 
piring in  Europe  during  the  years  1866  - 67.  The  ob- 
ject of  this  volume  is  rather  to  note  what  is  to  be  seen 
along  the  new  highway  of  the  world.  We  pass  over  the 


4 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


evacuation  of  Home  by  the  French  troops,  and  the  feverish 
excitement  in  Italy  during  that  winter.  We  cannot  linger 
in  the  aisles  and  courts  of  the  Great  Exposition,  nor  speak 
of  the  pageantries  which  attended  the  visit  of  the  Czar, 
the  King  of  Prussia,  the  Emperor  of  Austria,  and  the 
Sultan  to  the  exhibition  of  the  products  of  all  countries, 
the  arts  and  industries  of  all  lands.  We  cannot  speak 
in  detail  of  the  advance  of  the  reform  movement  in 
England,  the  speeches  of  Disraeli,  Bright,  Gladstone,  and 
Lowe  — the  four  great  debaters  of  Parliament  — on  that 
eventful  night  in  March  when  the  heir  of  England’s 
throne,  and  the  nobility  of  the  realm,  sat  in  the  gal- 
leries, and  listened  with  profound  attention  to  the  de- 
bate. Nor  can  we  go  down  to  Hungary  again  to  witness 
the  gorgeous  ceremonies  at  Buda-Pesth,  when  Count  An- 
drassy  placed  the  iron  crown  of  Charlemagne  upon  the 
brow  of  Francis  Joseph,  and  completed  the  reconciliation 
between  Austria  and  Hungary. 

These  were  the  memorable  events  of  the  year,  demand- 
ing the  attention  and  presence  of  a journalist.  Scenes  so 
remote  required  hasty  journeys  from  London  to  Venice, 
from  Paris  to  Pesth,  from  Borne  to  Berlin. 

It  was  in  November,  1867,  that  we  took  our  departure 
from  England  for  a tour  round  the  world  by  the  new  way, 
in  advance  of  its  opening,  across  the  American  continent. 
Paris,  however,  may  be  considered  as  our  starting-point. 
There  are  three  main  routes  eastward  from  that  city, — 
one  by  way  of  Marseilles,  another  over  the  Alps  and 
through  Italy,  and  the  third  through  Bavaria,  Austria, 
and  down  the  Danube  to  Constantinople.  Egypt  may 
be  reached  by  either  of  these. 

The  traveller  who  goes  by  Munich  and  Vienna  will  pass 
north  of  the  Alps,  through  Central  Europe.  The  railway 
is  completed  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  Turkish 
Empire,  and  is  under  construction  from  Belgrade  to  Con- 


FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  MARSEILLES. 


5 


stantinople.  The  work  is  in  the  hands  of  a Belgian 
company,  and  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  the  city 
of  the  Sultan  will  be  in  unbroken  railway  communication 
with  Paris.  The  present  route  is  from  Belgrade  by  steamer 
down  the  Danube  to  Rustchuk,  and  then  by  rail  to  Varna 
on  the  Black  Sea,  and  from  thence  to  Constantinople  by 
steamer. 

The  middle  route,  through  Italy,  enables  the  traveller 
to  see  the  Alps,  the  cathedral  of  Milan,  the  picture-gal- 
leries of  Florence,  the  ruins  of  ancient  Borne,  and  to  study 
the  ecclesiastical  government  of  the  States  of  the  Church, 
to  visit  Venice,  the  city  of  princely  palaces,  and  to  reach 
Alexandria  by  the  Italian  line  of  steamers,  sailing  from 
Brindisi. 

Having  spent  the  winter  of  1866  - 67  in  Italy,  and  hav- 
ing visited  Central  Europe,  Austria,  and  Hungary  in  the 
following  summer,  and  wishing  to  see  Southern  France, 
we  proceeded  from  Paris  to  Marseilles. 

To  an  American,  a journey  anywhere  in  Europe  is  full 
of  interest.  New  scenes  are  ever  coming  into  view. 
Bural  life  here  presents  strong  contrasts  to  what  he  has 
been  accustomed  to  see  at  home.  In  France  we  ride 
over  wide  plains  which  remind  us  of  the  prairies  of  the 
West,  but  seldom  do  we  see  a farm-house.  In  ancient 
times  the  people  lived  in  villages  for  defence  against 
marauding  bands ; but  now  the  peasantry  congregate  in 
towns  that  they  may  visit  the  wine-shop  after  their  work 
for  the  day  is  over,  hear  the  gossip  of  the  hour,  and  join 
in  a dance  upon  the  green.  « 

The  railway  from  Paris  to  Marseilles  is  a great  thor- 
oughfare, being  the  most  direct  route,  not  only  to  that 
chief  seaport  of  the  empire,  but  also  to  Italy.  The  line 
passes  up  the  south  branch  of  the  Seine,  called  the  Yonne. 
The  river  winds  lovingly  through  a wide  valley,  where 
the  low  lands  are  overflowed  by  winter  freshets.  Upon 


6 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


the  hillsides  we  sea  numerous  flocks  of  sheep,  tended  by 
shepherd-boys  and  their  ever- watchful  dogs.  The  peasant- 
women  are  at  work  with  their  husbands  in  the  fields, 
wielding  the  hoe  or  the  spade,  or  carrying  liquid  manure 
in  firkins  lashed  to  their  backs. 

Agricultural  implements  are  far  inferior  to  those  of  the 
United  States.  Wooden  hay-forks,  ploughs  scarcely  im- 
proved since  the  days  of  Hugh  Capet,  and  short,  heavy 
scythes  are  in  common  use.  Eeapers,  mowers,  cast-steel 
ploughs,  and  polished  forks  of  the  temper  of  watch- 
springs  have  not  yet  made  their  appearance  to  any  great 
extent  in  the  empire  ruled  by  Louis  Napoleon. 

Soldiers  are  to  be  seen  in  every  country  town.  Police- 
men abound  at  all  the  railway  stations,  dressed  in  the 
uniform  of  the  First  Empire, — cocked  hat,  blue  coat, 
buff  breeches,  high-topped  boots,  — and  armed  with  a 
sword.  The  idea  forces  itself  upon  a traveller  that  the 
government  is  very  watchful  of  the  people. 

We  whirl  through  the  ancient  town  of  Dijon.  Were 
we  to  stop  there  we  should  find  accommodation  in  the 
old  hotel  where  Dickens  pictured  the  meeting  of  Carker 
and  Edith,  in  his  story  of  Dombey  and  Son. 

By  this  route  we  pass  through  Lyons,  the  great  silk- 
manufacturing city  of  France.  When  we  reach  the  far 
East  we  shall  find  men  from  this  city  at  Canton,  Shang- 
hae,  and  Yokohama  purchasing  raw  silk,  which  is  shipped 
by  steamer  to  Egypt,  brought  from  thence  to  Marseilles, 
to  be  wrought  into  fabrics  by  the  weavers  of  this  old 
province  of  Burgundy.  Lyons  is  the  centre  of  the  silk 
trade,  just  as  Boston  is  of  the  boot  and  shoe  trade  of 
the  United  States,  though  the  manufacture  is  largely 
carried  on  in  surrounding  towns. 

From  Lyons  we  pass  down  the  valley  of  the  Phone, 
looking  out  upon  the  limestone  rocks  of  the  Jura  range 
of  mountains,  occupying  such  an  important  place  in  the 


FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  MARSEILLES. 


7 


geological  system  that  one  of  the  grand  divisions  is 
called  the  Jurassic  formation. 

We  behold  the  distant  Alps,  their  summits  gleaming 
with  snow,  the  vine  and  olive  adorning  the  hillsides,  and 
villages  nestled  in  sunny  nooks. 

It  is  sixteen  hours  by  fast  express-train  from  Paris 
to  Marseilles,  — a city  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  thou- 
sand inhabitants ; with  a harbor  deep,  capacious,  large 
enough  to  afford  shelter  for  thousands  of  vessels  ; cliffs  of  . 
white  limestone,  houses  of  the  same  material ; streets 
alive  with  people,  carts,  drays,  donkeys ; men  of  all 
nations  ; a clean,  neat,  attractive  town. 

Six  hundred  years  before  the  time  of  Christ,  soon  after 
the  founding  of  Pome,  the  Phoenicians,  coasting  along  the 
shore,  discovered  the  natural  advantages  of  this  harbor, 
and  established  a maritime  colony.  Prom  that  tune  to 
the  present  it  has  been  one  of  the  chief  ports  of  the 
coast.  The  country  behind  it,  for  nearly  one  hundred 
miles,  is  unproductive,  except  in  the  valley  of  the  Phone. 
Go  out  of  the  valley,  and  we  are  upon  the  Jura  range, 
which  reaches  across  the  continent  to  the  marshes  of 
Holland.  The  country  north  of  Marseilles,  all  along  the 
coast  to  Nice,  is  nearly  as  forbidding  as  the  hardest 
regions  of  New  Hampshire,  except  that  the  climate  is 
not  so  rigorous. 

Yet  this  is  the  land  of  the  orange,  olive,  and  grape. 
The  winters  are  not  so  severe  as  in  the  Northern  States 
of  America,  but  the  people  suffer  more  from  cold  than 
most  of  those  who  may  chance  to  read  these  notes  of 
travel.  Wood  is  scarce.  Coal  must  be  brought  from 
distant  lands ; corn-stalks  are  used  for  fuel ; roots  are 
grubbed  from  the  mountain-sides : everything  that  can 
give  warmth  is  prized.  Houses  are  of  stone,  chilly 
and  comfortless.  From  November  to  March  the  people 
shiver  with  cold. 


8 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Yet  under  the  shelter  of  the  cliffs  there  is  a delightful 
winter  climate,  so  agreeable  that  a crowd  of  invalids,  like 
sparrows  in  a hedgerow,  gather  along  the  coast,  some  to  - 
spend  the  winter,  others  to  tarry  a few  days,  then  move 
on  to -Italy. 

Vessels  are  packed  so  closely  in  the  docks  that  the 
masts  and  spars  remind  us  of  a dense  forest  of  spruce- 
trees  among  the  wilds  of  the  White  Mountains  after  an 
autumnal  fire  has  swept  away  the  foliage. 

Just  now  the  harbor  is  filled  with  ships,  brigs,  and 
craft  of  every  description,  loaded  with  wheat.  France 
is  short  of  food.  Russia,  Hungary,  Greece,  Turkey,  and 
California  are  sending  supplies.  People  in  France  are 
slow  to  adopt  labor-saving  machines.  There  are  no  grain- 
elevators,  like  those  of  Chicago.  The  wheat  is  taken  from 
the  ship’s  hold  in  baskets,  and  emptied  into  lighters,  the 
lighters  are  pushed  to  the  shore,  the  grain  shovelled  once 
more  into  baskets,  lifted  upon  the  quay,  and  emptied 
upon  canvas.  We  behold  thousands  of  men,  in  groups 
of  five  or  six,  sifting  the  grain  in  parchment  screens 
four  or  five  feet  in  diameter,  which  hang  by  a single 
cord  from  three  upright  poles  set  as  an  Indian  would 
place  the  frame  of  a wigwam.  One  man  keeps  the 
screen  in  motion,  while  three  others  shovel  in  the  grain. 

A steam  fanning-mill  or  an  elevator  would  be  an  incom- 
prehensible novelty  to  these  men.  A soldier  keeps  guard 
over  every  group,  for  the  wheat  belongs  to  the  govern- 
ment. There  are  thousands  of  sacks  marked  “ Service 
Militaire,”  — food  for  eight  hundred  thousand  men  who 
do  nothing  but  maintain  the  honor  and  dignity  of  France 
with  muskets  on  their  shoulders  in  time  of  peace  ! Where 
is  the  honor  ? where  the  dignity  ? 

The  Christmas  holidays  will  not  begin  for  two  weeks, 
yet  the  people  are  preparing  for  the  festival.  Booths 
are  put  up  for  the  sale  of  knick-knacks.  There  are 


FROM  NEW  YORK  TO  MARSEILLES. 


9 


thousands  of  little  cork  cottages  representing  the 
scene  of  Bethlehem ; Josephs  and  Marys  by  the  ten 
thousand,  — little  plaster  images,  painted  red,  yellow, 
green,  and  blue ; also  oxen  and  asses,  wise  men  and 
angels,  cattle-stalls  and  bundles  of  hay.  Catholicism 
educates  by  the  eye.  Images  and  pictures  are  represen- 
tations of  the  spiritual.  The  intellectual  has  but  little 
place  in  the  system  of  Borne.  The  Christmas  toys  of 
Catholic  Europe,  in  a great  degree,  are  the  representa- 
tives of  something  religious.  A Bethlehem  cottage,  Jo- 
seph, Mary,  the  infant  Jesus,  oxen  and  wise  men,  with 
angels  looking  down  from  paper  clouds,  make  a delight- 
ful baby-house  ; and  children,  as  well  as  men  and  women, 
by  the  thousand  are  crowding  the  streets  and  admiring 
the  grand  show. 

Marseilles  is  rapidly  becoming  a modern  city.  Old 
buildings  are  swept  away,  new  streets  and  boulevards  laid 
out,  — the  same  march  of  improvement  here  as  in  Paris. 
The  Emperor  is  the  prime  mover.  The  new  street  Im- 
periale,  cut  through  the  heart  of  the  old  town,  wide, 
flanked  by  magnificent  edifices,  is  to  cost  18,000,000 
francs,  of  which  the  Emperor  has  pledged  7,000,000  from 
the  Imperial  treasury ; and  the  city,  to  show  its  gratitude 
and  loyalty,  is  erecting  a palace  as  a winter  residence  for 
his  Majesty.  There  are  few  public  buildings  in  the 
world  surpassing  in  beauty  the  Exchange  built  last 
year. 

Not  many  cities  in  Europe  are  so  neat,  clean,  lively, 
and  attractive.  It  has  an  abundant  supply  of  water, 
brought  sixty  miles  from  the  Jura  Mountains.  Its 
squares  are  planted  with  shade-trees  ; there  are  public 
gardens,  walks,  drives,  delightful  sea  views,  and  extensive 
mountain  scenery. 

New  docks  on  an  extensive  scale  are  contemplated. 
Far-reaching  views  animate  the  merchants  of  this  city. 

l* 


t 


10 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


They  intend  to  lay  their  hands  on  the  East,  when  the 
Suez  Canal  is  completed,  and  to  bring  the  products  of 
India,  China,  and  Japan  to  this  port.  The  imperial  policy 
is  in  accord  with  their  enterprise,  and  contributes  to  make 
Marseilles  one  of  the  most  progressive  cities  in  Europe. 


HE  three  great  steamship  companies  or  the  East 


are  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental,  the  Messageries 
Imperiales,  and  the  Austrian  Lloyds.  Travellers  speak 
of  them  as  the  “ P.  and  0.,”  the  “ M.  I.,”  and  the  “ A.  L.” 

The  Peninsular  and  Oriental  send  a steamer  every  week 
from  Southampton  to  Gibraltar  and  Alexandria.  Women 
and  children,  and  other  passengers  for  India  who  have 
time  to  make  the  voyage,  take  this  route.  The  company 
also  has  a weekly  line  from  Marseilles  to  Alexandria. 
Business  men,  who  have  little  time  to  spare,  may  leave 
London  on  Friday  evening  for  Dover,  cross  the  Chan- 
nel by  fast  steamer,  take  an  express-train  to  Paris,  and 
from  there  to  Marseilles ; leave  the  latter  port  on  Sunday 
evening,  have  a three  days’  run  to  Malta,  and  a four  days’ 
trip  from  that  island  to  Alexandria,  and  reach  the  latter 
city  in  season  to  join  their  friends  arriving  about  the 
same  hour  from  Southampton. 

The  Peninsular  and  Oriental  steamers  are  crowded 
with  outward-bound  passengers  in  the  fall,  and  with  those 
homeward-bound  in  the  spring.  The  company  has  twelve 
steamships  on  the  Mediterranean,  of  from  twelve  hun- 
dred to  two  thousand  tons,  stanchly  built,  well  officered 


CHAPTER  II. 


ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN. 


ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN. 


11 


and  manned.  The  operations  of  the  company  are  wholly 
between  England  and  the  East,  — India,  China,  Japan, 
Ceylon,  and  Australia. 

The  Messageries  Imperiales  has  steamers  on  the  Atlan- 
tic, running  to  South  American  ports ; other  lines  to 
Algiers,  Spain,  Tunis,  and  all  the  ports  eastward  on  the 
Mediterranean  and  Black  Seas  ; and  on  the  Indian  Ocean, 
a monthly  line  to  Mauritius,  Cochin  China,  China  proper, 
and  Japan.  On  the  9 th  and  19  th  of  every  month  a 
steamer  leaves  Marseilles  for  -Alexandria,  touching  at 
Messina,  making  the  trip  to  Alexandria  in  six  days.  The 
company  has  a weekly  coast-line  touching  at  Nice,  Genoa, 
Leghorn,  CivitaVecchia,  Naples,  and  Palermo,  and  another 
weekly  line  running  to  Messina,  Athens,  Constantinople, 
and  up  the  Bosphorus  to  the  Black  Sea  ; and  a line  from 
Constantinople  to  Smyrna  and  the  Asiatic  coast,  touching 
at  all  the  principal  ports  between  Constantinople  and  Al- 
exandria. 

The  Austrian  Lloyds  has  its  head-quarters  at  Trieste. 
It  has  lines  of  steamers  touching  at  all  ports  on  the  Adri- 
atic, — at  Ancona,  Brindisi,  Corfu,  Athens,  the  island  of 
Syra,  Constantinople,  and  all  the.  Black  Sea  ports.  The 
steamers  of  this  company  running  from  Constantinople  to 
Alexandria  touch  at  Smyrna,  but  on  their  return  trip  go 
up  the  Syrian  coast,  touching  at  Jaffa,  Acre,  Beyrout, 
Rhodes,  Smyrna,  thence  to  Constantinople.  This  com- 
pany has  about  thirty  steamers  on  the  Mediterranean ; the 
Messageries  Imperiales,  forty. 

In  addition  to  these  lines  there  is  an  Italian  company, 
which  has  steamers  plying  every  week  between  Brindisi 
and  Alexandria,  making  the  passage  in  seventy-two  hours. 
There  are  also  Italian  steamers  plying  between  Marseilles 
and  all  Italian  ports ; also  running  to  Constantinople 
and  Smyrna.  The  Greeks  also  have  a steamer  plying 
between  Athens  and  Syra,  and  there  is  an  Egyptian 


12 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


line  between  Constantinople  and  Alexandria,  touching  at 
Syrian  ports. 

All  ports  on  the  Mediterranean  may  he  reached  by  these 
lines,  with  but  little  detention  at  any  point.  The  great 
tide  of  travel  sets  toward  Egypt  in  the  winter,  flows 
through  Palestine  in  the  spring,  reaches  the  Bosphorus 
or  the  Adriatic  in  May,  and  spreads  over  Europe  in  the 
summer.  It  is  as  regular  as  the  mackerel  and  shad  flood 
along  the  Atlantic  coast,  or  the  run  of  herring  around 
Great  Britain.  The  hotels  of  Egypt  are  crowded  in  Jan- 
uary, those  of  J erusalem  and  Beyrout  in  March  and  April, 
those  of  Constantinople  and  Athens  in  the  early  part  of 
May. 

It  is  blowing  “ great  guns,”  as  the  sailors  say,  on  Sat- 
urday evening,  the  14th  of  December,  1867,  when  the 
Euphrates,  of  the  Messageries  Impdriales  Company, 
steams  out  of  the  port  of  Marseilles.  It  is  six,  p.  M.,  an 
hour  behind  starting-time,  but  the  mails  and  a despatch 
agent  of  the  French  government  are  late,  and  so  we  wait, 
amid  a great  fleet  of  steamers,  the  wind  whistling  and 
howling  through  the  rigging,  and  the  heavy  swells  rolling 
under  our  keel,  as  if  the  elements  had  combined  to  give 
us  a premonition  of  what  they  will  do  for  us  when  we 
once  cut  loose  from  the  shore. 

The  steward  is  in  league  with  Boreas  and  Neptune. 
Instead  of  ringing  the  dinner-bell  at  five,  the  regular 
hour,  lie  waits  till  the  last  warp  is  cast  off,  knowing  that 
he  will  save  some  of  his  soup  and  roast-beef.  A few  of 
the  passengers  suddenly  leave  the  table  without  begging 
to  be  excused,  for  it  is  seesawing  at  a tremendous  rate, 
and  some  dexterity  is  required  to  carry  a spoon  to  one’s 
mouth.  Going  on  deck  in  the  evening,  we  find  the 
sea  white  with  foam,  and  heavy  waves  sweeping  past  us. 
For  three  days  the  wind  has  been  blowing  from  the  north- 
west. Fortunately  our  course  is  southeast,  and  we  go 
before  it  gloriously. 


ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN 


13 


14 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  Euphrates  is  a stanch  iron  ship  of  English  build, 
freighted  to  its  utmost  capacity  with  French  goods  for 
Athens  and  Constantinople.  Upon  the  deck  are  eight 
carriages,  boxed  in  water-proof  cases,  ordered  by  wealthy 
Turks  who  have  been  to  Paris  to  see  the  Exposition.  No 
longer  will  they  ride  in  cars  drawn  by  oxen.  They  have 
been  at  a snail’s  pace  long  enough  ; henceforth  they  are  to 
trot.  It  is  a sign  of  the  times,  — one  of  the  fruits  of  the 
world’s  fair.  Western  civilization  is  making  progress  on 
the  banks  of  the  Bosphorus.  The  head  of  the  Mussulman 
religion  broke  away  from  all  restraint  when  he  went  to 
Paris.  Prayers  without  number  were  offered  in  St.  Sophia 
for  his  safe  return,  — - for  the  preservation  of  his  morals 
from  contamination  with  the  Franks.  He  has  gone  back 
to  Stamboul  with  new  ideas.  He  wants  a railroad  from 
Constantinople  to  Widdin  on  the  Danube,  and  has  given 
a charter  to  a rich  Belgian  company.  He  has  already 
built  a road  from  Jaffa  to  Jerusalem,  to  enable  the 
Franks  to  reach  the  Holy  City.  He  is  ready  to  give 
extra  privileges  to  anybody  who  will  aid  in  developing 
the  resources  of  the  Ottoman  Empire.  His  subjects  have 
caught  some  of  the  spirit  of  the  West.  Henceforth  they 
intend  to  keep  their  coaches,  to  have  footmen  in  livery,  to 
drive  spanking  teams.  Looking  at  all  this  from  the  stand- 
point of  an  orthodox  Mussulman,  we  might  stroke  our 
beards  and  exclaim,  “ What  is  the  world  coming  to  ? ” 

The  steamer  on  which  we  have  taken  passage  belongs 
to  the  Marseilles  and  Algiers  line,  but  has  been  put  on 
the  Constantinople  route  for  this  one  trip.  The  cabin  is 
dirty,  and  it  is  only  by  persistent  effort  that  we  can  get 
our  state-room  swept.  The  captain  is  a small  man  with 
long  black  hair  and  twinkling  eyes,  who  passes  most  of 
his  time  in  his  office  on  the  upper  deck  working  embroid- 
ery ! The  discipline  among  the  crew  is  lax : they  do 
pretty  much  as  they  please.  Everything  is  at  loose  ends  ; 


ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN. 


15 


the  table  poor,  and  the  waiters  careless.  If  the  other 
steamers  of  this  line  were  like  the  Euphrates,  it  would  be 
well  for  travellers  to  avoid  them ; but  usually  they  are 
kept  in  good  trim,  and  are  commanded  by  men  who  do 
not  give  their  time  to  fancy  needlework.  We  make  the 
best  of  the  disagreeable.  The  man  who  travels  only  to 
grumble  will  do  well  never  to  leave  his  own  fireside. 
The  secret  of  travelling  with  comfort  and  pleasure  is  to 
take  things  as  they  are,  make  the  best  of  everything, 
and,  like  Mark  Tapley,-  come  out  strong. 

It  is  a twenty-four  hours’  run  across  the  Gulf  of  Lyons 
from  Marseilles  to  the  Straits  of  Bonafacio,  between  the 
islands  of  Corsica  and  Sardinia.  Through  the  day  the 
wind  has  been  blowing  a gale,  and  the  whole  northern 
coast  of  Sardinia  is  white  with  foam.  A more  rugged 
coast  we  never  beheld,  — rocks  sharp  as  knife-blades, 
pointed  as  needles,  jagged  like  saws ; against  which  the 
white-capped  waves  are  dashing  and  thundering.  While 
in  the  Straits,  for  a half-hour,  we  are  compelled  to  run 
in  the  trough  of  the  sea.  One  wave,  mightier  than  the 
others,  breaks  amidship,  pouring  in  torrents  down  the 
cabin  stairs.  The  iron  hull  trembles  from  stem  to 
stern,  but  the  flood  finds  its  way  through  the  bulwark- 
nettings  and  scuppers,  and  we  are  all  right  again. 

Once  through  the  Straits,  we  have  clear  sea-room  all 
the  way  to  Sicily. 

Twenty-four  hours  later  we  pass  Stromboli,  which  rises 
high,  rugged,  sharp,  bleak,  desolate,  and  dismal  from  the 
sea,  directly  in  the  track  of  all  vessels  sailing  southeast 
from  Marseilles  to  the  Straits  of  Messina.  It  would  be 
very  dangerous  were  it  not  that  it  is  a natural  light-house. 
We  can  see  the  red-hot  lava  dimly  glowing  on  the  top 
of  the  mountain.  The  island  is  not  inhabited.  It  is  a 
solid  mass  of  igneous  rock,  which  has  been  pushed  up 
from  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 


16 


OUE  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


It  is  but  one  of  a series  of  vent-holes  in  this  region  of 
the  globe,  and  it  is  probable  that  there  is  internal  com- 
munication between  this  volcano  and  Etna,  which  is 
due  south  from  it,  on  the  southern  shore  of  Sicily,  and 
Vesuvius,  which  is  one  hundred  and  twenty  miles  north  ; 
for  when  either  is  in  action,  the  others  are  quiet.  Vesu- 
vius just  now  is  in  eruption,  while  Stromboli,  which 
usually  is  one  of  the  most  active  volcanoes  on  the  face  of 
the  earth,  has  suddenly  become  quiet. 

Beyond  Stromboli  we  come  to  the  locality  described  in 
the  Odyssey,  — the  Scylla  and  Charybdis,  navigated  by 
Ulysses ; but  it  is  night,  and  we  have  no  opportunity  of 
seeing  the  terrible  dangers  of  the  Straits.  If  there  is  any 
monster  on  the  Sicilian  shore  waiting  to  seize  us,  we  escape 
him  in  the  darkness,  and  run  safely  into  Messina  at  mid- 
night, take  on  a few  tons  of  coal,  several  hundred  boxes 
of  oranges,  and  are  rounding  the  southern  point  of  Italy  at 
sunrise.  The  point  is  a bold  headland  of  solid  limestone, 
gray  and  hoary,  high  and  cloud-capped,  on  this  December 
morning.  A dozen  ships  and  small  vessels  are  in  sight, 
some  standing  northward  up  the  Adriatic,  others  shaping 
their  course  southwest  toward  Malta,  and  still  others,  like 
the  Euphrates,  with  their  prows  pointing  east  toward  the 
classic  land  of  Greece. 

The  air  is  as  balmy  as  in  April.  The  deep,  heavy  swell 
of  the  northern  Mediterranean  is  left  far  behind,  and 
though  the  Adriatic  is  usually  storm-tossed,  this  morn- 
ing it  is  calm  and  peaceful.  One  Englishman  and  five 
Americans  come  on  board  at  Messina.  The  English 
gentleman  opens  his  eyes  very  wide,  and  holds  up  his 
hands  in  amazement,  when  informed  that  we  are  on  our 
way  to  San  Francisco  eastward.  “ There  was  a time,” 
he  says,  “ when  we  Englishmen  had  the  routes  of  travel 
pretty  much  all  to  ourselves  ; but  I ’ll  be  hanged  if  you 
Americans  have  n’t  crowded  us  completely  off  the  side- 
walk ! We  can’t  tie  your  shoe-strings  !” 


ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN. 


17 


It  is  a twenty-four  hours’  run  from  Messina  across  the 
Adriatic  Gulf  to  Morea,  the  ancient  Arcadia.  Going 
on  deck  at  sunrise  on  the  morning  of  the  fourth  day 
from  Marseilles,  we  behold  the  western  coast  of  Greece, 
— the  hay  of  Navarino,  where  the  great  naval  fight  took 
place  in  1828,  when  the  combined  fleets  of  England, 
France,  and  Russia  annihilated  that  of  Turkey.  The 
result  of  the  conflict  was  the  independence  of  Greece, 
the  establishment  of  a new  kingdom.  Fashion  kept  the 
victory  in  remembrance  for  a time  by  bringing  out  Nava- 
rino bonnets,  — as,  after  the  Crimean  campaign,  we  had 
Alma  cloaks  for  ladies,  and  Raglans  for  gentlemen.  The 
style  and  proportions  of  those  coverings  for  the  head  were 
so  overwhelming  and  immense,  that,  were  they  to-day  in 
existence,  they  would  present  an  astonishing  contrast  to 
the  microscopic  affairs  now  in  fashion. 

We  steam  past  the  Dorian  peninsula,  and  enter  the 
Gulf  of  Coran,  and  behold  a clear,  sharp  outline  of 
mountains,  dark  at  the  base,  gray  ribs  of  limestone  run- 
ning up  the  sides,  sharp  peaks,  white  with  snow,  gleaming 
like  burnished  silver  in  the  sunlight,  a mellow  haze,  a 
blending  of  bright  tints,  a golden  and  purple  glow,  such 
as  no  painter  can  put  on  canvas. 

Gazing  steadily,  we  can  see  black  specks  on  the 
sides  of  the  mountain,  — the  openings  to  those  caverns 
where  the  puny  Spartan  children,  decreed  not  worth  rear- 
ing by  the  barbarous  rulers,  were  left  to  be  devoured  by 
wolves. 

Can  it  be  that  behind  those  mountains  which  rise  so 
grandly  from  the  sea,  along  this  western  coast  of  Greece, 
there  are  quiet  nooks  where  nymphs  had  their  ancient 
haunts  ? It  is  not  easy  to  bring  home  to  the  mind  the 
thought  that  this  is  the  fabled  land  of  peace  and  content- 
ment, and  pleasures  without  end ; for  the  nymphs  have 
had  their  day,  and  it  is  sheer  nonsense  to  undertake  to 

B 


18 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


go  into  ecstasies  about  them  with  a steam-engine  be- 
neath our  feet,  and  the  screw  of  the  steamer  churning 
the  ocean  to  a foam  ! 

At  the  southern  extremity  of  the  mountain  range,  — 
two  hundred  feet  above  the  breaking  waves,  — a hermit 
has  built  a hut,  with  a cave  for  his  parlor.  He  stands 
by  the  door,  in  a rusty  gown,  looking  down  upon  us. 
His  nearest  neighbor  must  be  miles  away.  It  is  all 
mountain  behind  him,  — precipices  wdtli  only  here  and 
there  a speck  of  verdure  in  the  clefts.  It  is  a grand 
place  for  reflection  on  the  mutations  of  history ; but 
man  cannot  live  on  history  alone.  Beans  and  potatoes 
are  desirable,  and  so  this  philosopher  in  a hair  sliirt  digs 
and  delves  in  the  crevices  of  the  rocks,  and  has  one  gar- 
den spot  as  large  as  a common  dining- table.  Years  ago  a 
band  of  wreckers  and  sea-robbers  lived  here,  who  lured 
vessels  ashore  by  false  lights  — sharing  their  spoils  with 
a priest,  who  absolved  them  from  all  sin,  in  considera- 
tion of  a fifteenth  part  of  their  ill-gotten  plunder ; but 
priest  and  pirate  came  to  grief,  and  commerce  now  pur- 
sues its  peaceful  way.  The  poet  Falconer  has  made 
this  headland  the  scene  of  his  poem  entitled  the  “ Ship- 
wreck.” 

We  sit  upon  the  deck  and  dream  ; going  in  imagination 
to  the  far-distant  years,  to  the  days  of  the  Phoenicians, 
the  first  navigators  coming  westward  with  the  seed-corn 
of  civilization,  planting  it  among  these  mountains  ; Athe- 
nian fleets  sweep  past ; Persians  come  down  from  the 
Aegean  ; Egyptians  sail  in  from  the  south ; Romans  and 
Carthaginians  from  the  west : a thousand  years  roll 
away,  and  blind  old  Dandolo  of  Venice  coasts  along  these 
shores  ; Pagan,  Christian,  Crusader,  — the  worshipper  of 
fire  from  the  East,  men  fighting  for  the  supremacy  of 
the  Crescent ; Homer,  admirals  of  ancient  Greece,  the 
Csesars,  the  Solymans ; Paid,  and  other  apostles ; great 


ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN. 


19 


men  without  number ; navies,  fleets,  armies,  — all  have 
moved  along  this  roadway.  The  keels  of  vessels  for  four 
thousand  years  have  parted  the  waters  off  this  sharp 
headland  of  the  peninsula  of  Sparta.  We  might  sit 
down  on  yonder  jutting  cliff  and  unroll  almost  the  whole 
panorama  of  ancient  and  modern  civilization. 

It  is  two  o’clock  in  the  morning ; a clear  sky,  the 
moon  in  its  last  quarter ; war-ships  around  us,  a steam 
frigate  bearing  the  Prussian  flag,  another  the  tricolor  of 
France,  a third  the  cross  of  St.  George,  the  fourth  the 
red,  white,  and  green  of  Italy ; bells  on  shipboard  strik- 
ing the  hour ; sailors  of  four  nations  in  their  respective 
languages  crying,  “ All  is  well  ” ; — such  are  the  circum- 
stances when  we  descend  the  ladder  of  the  steamer,  enter 
a small  boat,  and  are  rowed  to  the  custom-house  of  the 
Piraeus.  A Greek,  with  an  enormous  black  beard,  is  our 
ferryman.  He  can  speak  English ; will  get  us  through 
the  custom-house,  hunt  up  a carriage,  and  send  us  to 
Athens  at  once. 

Trusting  in  good  promises,  we  wrap  our  shawls  around 
us,  and  indulge  in  meditation  while  listening  to  the  dip 
of  the  oars. 

From  this  port  sailed  the  fleet  of  Themistocles  2347 
years  ago,  bound  for  Salamis.  We  think  of  Athens  de- 
serted, — the  inhabitants  accepting  the  advice  of  the 
great  admiral  to  go  on  shipboard  and  achieve  a victory 
behind  wooden  walls  over  the  Persian  fleet.  Upon  the 
hill  west  of  us  Xerxes  sat  upon  his  golden  throne, 
wearing  royal  robes,  with  courtiers  around  him,  and 
secretaries  with  tablets  in  their  hands  to  record  the  names 
of  those  who  distinguish  themselves  in  the  fight,  that 
they  may  be  engraved  in  the  marble  halls  of  Babylon. 
His  mighty  army  was  encamped  on  the  hillside  which 
we  dimly  discern  in  the  pale  moonlight. 

We  think  of  Aristides  on  the  little  island  down  the 


20 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


harbor,  of  Aeschylus,  who  was  in  the  fight,  whose  heroic 
verse  recounting  the  deeds  of  his  countrymen  will  ever 
stand  a monument  more  enduring  than  the  Parthenon. 
We  can  almost  see  the  battle,  — the  three  hundred  and 
ten  ships,  — the  • combined  navies  of  Athens,  Sparta,  and 
iEgina  on  the  one  side,  and  the  thousand  vessels  of  Xerxes 
on  the  other,  — gathered  from  all  along  the  coast  of  Asia 
Minor,  from  Byzantium  down  to  old  Tyre,  Joppa,  and 
Egypt.  We  behold  the  advance  of  the  Athenian  tieet,  — 
see  the  dip  of  thousands  of  oars,  — hear  the  joyous  war- 
song  of  the  rowers,  — then  the  clash  of  swords,  the 
rattle  of  spears,  the  shout,  clamor,  and  uproar  of  bat- 
tle ; and  when  the  sun  goes  down,  the  conflict  over,  we 
see  the  Persian  fleet  annihilated,  the  bay  filled  with  sink- 
ing wrecks  ; dead  bodies  floating  with  the  tide,  wounded 
men  struggling  in  the  waves.  We  hear  the  paean  of  vic- 
tory rising  on  the  evening  air  from  the  triumphant 
Athenians.  There  is  commotion  on  yonder  hill.  The 
vast  multitude  is  moving  away,  the  king  taking  the 
lead,  mortified,  enraged,  returning  to  Babylon,  to  the 
palace  of  the  beautiful  queen,  — the  Esther  of  the  Bible, 
— to  the  city  where  Mordecai  was  prime  minister,  — 
prime  in  the  fullest  sense  of  the  term  ! 

But  our  revery  has  a sudden  termination.  A fellow 
on  shore  in  a blue  jacket,  brass  buttons,  and  gold-band- 
ed cap,  with  a sword  flashing  in  the  moonlight,  gives 
a loud  halloo,  and  makes  threatening  gestures.  We  do 
not  comprehend  a syllable  of  his  language,  but  under- 
stand every  flash  of  the  sword.  It  says  : “ You  can’t  come 
to  land.  Stay  where  you  are.” 

It  is  not  to  be  supposed  that  a custom-house  official, 
anywhere  in  the  world,  will  be  influenced  by  a piece  of 
money  ! But  as  we  have  no  contraband  goods,  and  as  we 
cannot  see  how  the  Greek  government  will  gain  or  lose 
anything  by  keeping  us  shivering  in  a boat  on  a chilly 


ON  THE  MEDITERRANEAN. 


21 


December  morning  four  or  five  hours,  we  hold  up  a franc. 
Wonderful  the  effect ! The  gentleman  puts  up  his  sword, 
will  not  even  look  into  our  carpet-bag,  courteously  shows 
us  the  way  to  a cafe,  where  we  can  warm  ourselves. 
What  magic  in  a piece  of  silver  worth  twenty  cents  ! 

By  all  the  laws  of  association  we  ought  to  experience 
an  ecstatic  thrill,  an  elevation  of  soul,  such  as  we  can 
have  nowhere  else ; but  the  circumstances  of  the  moment 
are  not  favorable  for  firing  our  enthusiasm.  A dozen 
fellows  are  shouting  the  merits  of  the  different  hotels  of 
Athens ; commissionnaires,  who  are  always  on  the  lookout 
for  strangers,  are  ready  to  show  us  the  ruins  of  Attica. 
Near  by  is  a restaurant,  where  thirty  or  forty  descend- 
ants of  noble  Greeks  — a great  ways  descended  — are 
singing  the  songs  of  Bacchus,  guzzling  wine,  smoking 
abominable  tobacco  in  Turkish  pipes,  shuttling  dominos 
and  cards.  Some  are  stretched  at  full  length  on  the 
tables,  sound  asleep,  adding  a chorus  of  snores  to  the 
songs ; others  are  talking  incoherently,  gesticulating 
fiercely  to  their  boozy  companions.  Call  with  loudest 
voice  for  the  mighty  Past  amid  such  associations,  and 
it  will  not  come.  It  is  far  better  to  get  into  a carriage 
and  ride  to  a good  hotel  in  Athens,  five  miles  distant, 
than  to  endeavor  to  work  ourselves  into  a fine  frenzy 
by  thinking  of  Demosthenes,  Socrates,  and  Plato. 

Greece  is  filling  up  with  refugees  from  Crete.  There 
are  twelve  thousand  in  Athens  alone,  about  sixty  thou- 
sand in  the  whole  country,  and  there  are  fresh  arrivals 
every  day.  American  charity  has  been  bestowed  through 
Dr.  S.  G.  Howe  of  Boston  ; and  there  are  thousands  of 
men,  women,  and  children,  who  have  been  driven  from 
comfortable  homes,  who  are  supported  by  contributions 
from  America. 

But  the  limits  of  this  volume  'will  not  admit  of  a re- 
production of  the  scenes  witnessed  here,  — in  huts, 


22 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


hovels,  out-buildings,  nor  in  the  schools  where  mis- 
sionaries, sustained  by  societies  in  the  United  States,  are 
giving  secular  and  religious  instruction  to  the  Cretan 
children.  We  cannot  dwell  upon  the  political  aspects 
of  the  Cretan  question,  neither  on  the  present  condition 
or  future-  prospects  of  modern  Greece. 

It  is  our  privilege  while  in  Athens  to  behold  the  play 
of  Antigone,  which  was  written  by  Sophocles  nearly  four 
centuries  before  the  Christian  era.  It  is  performed  in 
the  theatre  of  Herod  Atticus,  which  has  been  fitted  up 
for  the  occasion,  — a tribute  in  honor  of  Queen  Olga,  just 
married  to  King  George.  But  our  space  will  not  admit  of 
a reproduction  of  that  scene,  nor  an  account  of  our  wan- 
derings amid  the  ruins  of  ancient  Athens, — the  Parthenon, 
the  Temple  of  Theseus,  of  Jupiter  Olympus,  nor  of  our  lin- 
gering in  the  old  market-place  where  the  Apostle  Paul 
held  disputations  with  the  philosophers  and  logicians  ; 
nor  of  the  hours  spent  on  Mars  Hill,  where  he  stood  be- 
fore the  high  court  of  Athens  and  made  his  masterly  ad- 
dress upon  the  Christian  religion ; neither  of  our  ram- 
blings  by  the  banks  of  the  Ilissus,  or  our  climbing  of  Pen- 
telicus,  and  feasting  upon  the  honey  of  Hymettus.  Prom 
the  summit  of  Pentelicus  we  look  down  through  the 
rolling  clouds  and  catch  a glimpse  of  Marathon,  and  look 
over  the  mountains  to  Thermopylae,  — names  which  stir 
the  blood,  when  we  think  what  was  gained  and  what 
might  have  been  lost  on  those  turning-points  of  human 
destiny. 

From  Athens  our  course  is  to  Constantinople,  and 
thence  to  Smyrna  and  Alexandria,  Jaffa,  Jerusalem,  Bey- 
rout,  Damascus,  and  again  to  Egypt,  occupying  four 
months  of  our  time..  We  cannot  reproduce  in  this 
volume  the  scenes  witnessed  in  the  city  of  the  Sultan, 
and  along  the  Bosphorus,  nor  the  progress  of  the  Turkish 
nation,  and  its  future  prospects : the  street  scenes  of 


MODERN  EGYPT. 


23 


Stamboul ; what  the  missionaries  are  doing ; nor  the 
dying  out  of  bigotry  and  fanaticism,  the  decay  of  old 
and  the  coming  in  of  new  ideas.  Nor  can  we  linger 
at  Smyrna  to  behold  the  commingling  of  Eastern  and 
'Western  life;  to  see  the  cars  start  for  Ephesus,  while 
caravans  of  camels  are  slowly  entering  the  city,  after 
their  long  journey  from  Bagdad. 

We  pass  abruptly  by  Syria  and  Palestine,  and  all  that 
we  saw  in  Western  Asia  of  historic  scenes  and  sacred 
places.  Egypt  is  our  starting-point  for  the  far  East.  The 
direct  lines  of  travel,  whether  by  Marseilles,  Brindisi,  or 
Constantinople,  all  centre  there,  and  we  leave  all  this 
side  of  that  point  for  another  volume. 


COAST  without  a mountain,  a line  of  low  sand- 


hills, a light-house,  palm-trees  waving  their  green 
plumes,  are  the  first  objects  which  meet  the  eye  as  we 
approach  the  entrance  to  the  harbor  of  Alexandria  ; and 
then  windmills  on  the  beach,  fortifications,  seaside  houses 
with  stone  walls  and  flat  roofs,  and  windows  like  the 
embrasures  of  a fort,  beacons  and  buoys  to  mark  the 
channel,  a forest  of  masts,  the  minarets  of  mosques,  and 
Pompey’s  Pillar.  The  steamer  drops  anchor  in  a harbor 
crowded  with  shipping. 

A dozen  frigates,  — English,  French,  Italian,  and  Turk- 
ish, — fifty  steamers,  and  hundreds  of  ships,  are  lying  in 


Alexandria,  since  the  opening  of  the  line  of  travel  to 


CHAPTER  III. 


MODERN  EGYPT. 


port. 


24 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


India  by  the  English,  and  the  construction  of  the  railroad 
to  Suez,  has  become  one  of  the  great  steamship  ports  of  the 
world.  "NVe  have  heard  of  the  difficulties  incident  to  get- 
ting on  shore,  from  porters,  dragomans,  and  custom-house 
officials,  but  meet  with  no  trouble.  An  Arab,  in  a white 
gown,  with  a dozen  yards  or  more  of  cloth  wound  round 
his  head  for  a turban,  ascends  the  ladder,  makes  a polite 
bow,  offers  to  take  us  on  shore  for  twenty  francs,  and 
finally  reduces  his  price  to  three.  A fellow  in  baggy 
breeches,  at  the  custom-house,  takes  a look  at  the  Ameri- 
can eagle  on  our  passports,  pronounces  it  all  right ; 
another  fellow  peeps  into  our  trunk ; another  runs  his 
hand  to  the  bottom  of  the  carpet-bag,  and  both  follow 
us  to  the  street,  calling  Bakshish  ! but,  being  of  an  ex- 
ceedingly virtuous  turn  of  mind  just  then,  and  not  wish- 
ing to  do  anything  to  corrupt  the  officials  of  the  Pasha, 
we  thank  them  for  what  they  have  done,  enter  an  omni- 
bus, and  go  rattling  up  the  street  towards  the  Peninsular 
and  Oriental  Hotel,  leaving  them  in  the  street  shaking 
their  fists  at  us. 

From  childhood  we  have  read  of  the  Orient.  The  word 
implies  something  gorgeous,  dazzling,  beautiful,  — bright 
colors,  crimson  and  gold,  fragrant  flowers,  otto  of  roses, 
silks,  satins,  cashmeres,  minstrels,  gazelles,  palm-groves, 
bubbling  fountains,  — luxury,  ease,  comfort,  — things 
delightful  to  the  eye,  the  ear,  and  all  the  five  senses. 
Fairy-tales  of  the  Arabian  Nights  Entertainments,  and 
Tom  Moore’s  poetry,  have  built  up,  in  many  a brain,  a 
beautiful  dreamland ; but  a day  on  shore,  one  half-hour 
even,  will  dispel  all  such  illusions. 

Our  omnibus  was  built  in  London.  Our  driver  is  an 
Arab ; the  conductor,  a German  linguist,  able  not  only  to 
speak  his  own  mother  tongue,  but  also  English,  French, 
Italian,  Spanish,  Arabic,  and  Greek.  He  sets  us  down  at 
the  hotel  fronting  on  the  grand  square.  In  our  chamber, 


MODERN  EGYPT. 


25 


instead  of  divans  and  bubbling  fountains,  we  find  chairs, 
sofa,  straw-matting,  iron  bedsteads,  clean  sheets,  mosquito- 
curtains,  and  on  the  dinner-table  joints  of  beef,  and  turkeys, 
chickens,  and  John  Bull  sauce.  But  in  the  streets  there 
is  a mixture  of  the  East  and  West,  — the  East  the  more 
numerous,  the  West  the  mightier.  The  Occident  has 
invaded  the  Orient,  and  the  two  civilizations  are  so  inter- 
mingled that  it  is  impossible  to  say  where  the  one  begins 
or  the  other  ends.  Some  of  the  features  of  the  Orient 
are  camels,  donkeys,  fleas,  lice,  dirt,  and  odors  not  wafted 
from  “ Araby  the  blest.” 

The  architecture  of  the  business  portion  of  the  city 
is  like  that  of  Paris,  — stately  edifices  of  hewn  stone, 
brought  down  the  Nile ; but  in  the  suburbs  we  find 
primitive  Oriental  architecture,  — mud  hovels,  a hole  in 
the  roof  for  a chimney,  another  in  the  wall  for  a win- 
dow, the  ground  the  floor.  Baising  the  rush  matting, 
which  serves  for  a door,  we  see  men,  women,  naked  chil- 
dren, dogs,  goats,  pigs,  chickens,  occupying  the.  premises. 
The  men  wear  camel’s-liair  shirts,  which  serve  for  coat, 
cloak,  and  nightgown  all  in  one ; the  women  wear  long  cot- 
ton sacks,  dyed  with  indigo,  without  crinoline,  with  veils 
covering  all  the  face  except  the  eyes.  They  have  thim- 
ble-shaped ornaments  of  gold  resting  on  the  forehead,  at- 
tached to  a band  encircling  the  head. 

We  meet  women  on  the  street  bearing  trays,  baskets, 
and  water-jugs  on  their  heads.  Others  carry  their  chil- 
dren, which  sit  astride  the  shoulder.  Boys  beseech  us  to 
ride  their  donkeys  ; dragomans  dog  our  steps  to  show  us 
round  the  town ; old  Arabs,  sitting  cross-legged  on  the 
ground,  smoke  their  pipes  and  hold  out  their  hands  for 
bakshish.  The  bazaars,  or  shops,  are  filled  with  a chat- 
tering, chaffering  crowd,  buying  yellow  slippers,  red 
fezes,  pipes,  tobacco,  cloth  from  Damascus  looms,  knick- 
knacks  and  jewelry  from  Paris,  and  calico  from  England. 

2 


2G 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


There  is  a mixture  of  races, — representatives  from  many 
nations.  Believers  in  all  religions  are  jostling  each  other 

through  the  streets  of 
the  city  where  the  Pha- 
raohs had  their  seaside 
summer  resorts,  where 
Alexander,  Caesar,  Cleo- 
patra, Mark  Antony, 
Pompey,  Herodotus,  and 
Euclid  have  walked. 

The  population  of  Al- 
exandria is  variously 
estimated,  but  probably 
it  exceeds  one  hundred 
and  sixty  thousand,  and 
is  rapidly  increasing. 
That  portion  of  the  city 
which  is  inhabited  by 
Europeans  is  regularly 
laid  out  with  wide 
streets  ; but  the  native 
section  is  in  the  Oriental 
style,  — narrow  streets 
and  mean  houses.  Poles 

A MODERN  REBECCA. 

are  laid  across  the  street 
from  house  to  house,  and  rushes  spread  upon  them  to 
protect  the  people  from  the  heat  of  the  midsummer  sun. 
The  signs  over  the  shop  doors  are  in  Arabic,  Turkish, 
Greek,  Hebrew,  French,  German,  Italian,  English,  and 
Russian.  They  indicate  the  cosmopolitan  character  of  the 
place.  Material  for  building  is  excavated  from  the  ruins 
of  the  ancient  city,  — bricks  which  were  moulded  two 
thousand  years  ago.  The  mortar  adhering  to  the  ma- 
sonry, compounded  in  the  time  of  Alexander  and  the 
Caesars,  is  as  tenacious  and  strong  to-day  as  it  was  when 
they  were  in  all  their  glory. 


MODERN  EGYPT. 


27 


Cotton  and  wheat  are  the  chief  exports  of  Egypt.  The 
trade  is  mostly  in  the  hands  of  the  Greeks.  Their  mer- 
cantile connections 
are  mainly  with  Mar- 
seilles. 

The  streets  bear 
French  names,  the 
houseg  are  after  the 
French  style  of  archi- 
tecture, and  the  lan- 
guage of  France  is 
heard  in  the  shops. 

Politically,  English 
influence  is  equal  to 
that  of  France.  The 
Pasha  has  made  great 
concessions  to  both 
the  English  and  the 
French.  England 
sends  her  passengers 
to  India,  and  her 
troops  also,  by  this 
route.  The  railroad 
trains  are  loaded  with 
supplies  for  the 
troops  in  Abyssinia, 
established  at  Suez, 
railways  of  Egypt. 


MOTHER  AND  CHILD. 


A hospital  for  her  soldiers  has  been 
English  capital  has  constructed  the 
But  France  is  digging  the  Suez 
Canal,  and  French  influence  is  rapidly  gaining  ground. 

The  Viceroy  of  Egypt  is  Ismail  Pasha,  born  in  1830, 
the  second  of  three  sons  of  Ibrahim  Pasha,  who  conquered 
Syria  in  1840.  He  was  educated  in  France,  in  the  school 
of  the  Etat  Major,  or  Military  Staff,  and  returned  to  Egypt 
in  1849.  In  1853  he  was  accused  of  being  a party  to  the 
assassination  of  one  of  his  uncle’s  court  favorites,  but  it 


28 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


was  not  proved  against  him.  In  1855  he  visited  the 
French  Court  on  diplomatic  service,  and  on  his  way  home 
called  upon  the  Pope  and  Cardinal  Antonelli.  In  1861 
he  was  sent  with  an  army  of  fourteen  thousand  men  to 
Upper  Egypt,  to  punish  the  rebellious  tribes  of  Soudan, 
who,  presuming  upon  the  good-nature  of  Said  Pasha,  then 
Viceroy,  refused  to  pay  their  taxes.  They  were  brought 
to  terms  by  Ismail’s  vigorous  action.  Two  years  later,  in 
1863,  he  became  Viceroy. 

The  war  in  the  United  States  was  his  golden  opportu- 
nity. The  world  wanted  cotton,  and  Egypt  could  afford 
to  raise  it  at  the  prices  then  given.  The  Delta  of  the  Nile 
was  turned  into  a vast  cotton-field,  and  for  a year  or  two 
Egypt,  which  from  the  time  of  Joseph  has  been  one  of 
the  world’s  granaries,  was  compelled  to  go  to  Odessa  for 
wheat,  while  she  sent  her  hales  of  cotton  to  Manchester, 
— filling  the  Pasha’s  purse  with  English  sovereigns.  The 
American  war  greatly  stimulated  Egyptian  industry. 

Ismail  Pasha  has  caught  the  spirit  of  modern  enter- 
prise. He  is  anxious,  not  only  for  the  completion  of  the 
canal,  hut  for  the  construction  of  railroads.  He  is  laying 
a railway  along  the  western  bank  of  the  Nile,  which  will 
be  completed  to  Thebes  in  1869.  . Ultimately  it  is  to  be 
extended  to  the  first  cataract,  to  bring  to  the  sea-coast  the 
productions  of  the  vast  region  beyond.  The  Valley  of 
the  Nile  is  the  natural  highway  to  the  heart  of  Africa, 
by  which  commerce  and  Christian  civilization  are  yet  to 
reach  Ethiopia.  The  work  which  Ismail  Pasha  is  doing 
will  be  as  far  reaching  in  its  results  as  time  itself. 

Not  only  up  the  Nile,  but  across  the  Delta,  he  is  con- 
structing railroads.  A new  route,  more  direct  than  that 
through  Cairo,  will  soon  be  opened  from  Alexandria  to 
Suez.  Another  road  will  be  built  from  Alexandria  east 
to  Port  Said,  the  northern  terminus  of  the  canal.  The 
Delta  is  a network  of  water-ways,  natural  and  artificial ; 


MODERN  EGYPT. 


29 


ISMAIL  PASHA. 


but  water  communication  is  too  slow  to  suit  tlie  Viceroy; 
he  must  have  the  locomotive.  Thus  far  he  has  shown 
quite  as  much  enterprise  as  any  ruler  in  Europe. 

He  has  one  son  in  Paris  obtaining  an  education,  who 
lives  in  princely  style,  spending  money  recklessly,  keep- 
ing a dozen  horses, — Arab  and  English  thoroughbreds. 
He  has  fallen  away  from  the  faith  of  his  fathers  in  the 
matter  of  wine-drinking.  Mahomet  forbade  it,  but  this 
son  of  the  Viceroy  has  the  best  of  champagne  and  the 
choicest  old  Madeira  in  his  cellars.  Another  son  is  ob- 
taining an  education  in  England. 


30 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


We  have  heard  that  it  never  rains  in  Egypt,  hut  a cloud 
comes  floating  from  the  sea,  which  in  a few  minutes 
drenches  the  whole  city.  It  is  like  the  bursting  of  a 
water-spout.  The  streets  might  almost  be  navigated  by 
boats.  The  sun  is  soon  shining  as  brightly  as  ever,  and 
not  a cloud  darkens  the  sky.  Alexandria,  being  situated 
on  the  sea-shore,  is  particularly  subject  to  such  drencli- 
ings,  but  farther  inland  showers  are  of  rare  occurrence. 
It  is  said,  however,  that  the  planting  of  trees  of  late  years 
lias  increased  the  annual  fall  of  rain.  If  the  Delta  was 
thickly  planted,  there  is  no  doubt  that  showers  would  be 
more  frequent,  and  the  productions  of  the  country  mate- 
rially increased. 

We  ride  to  the  railway  station  while  the  rain  is  pour- 
ing, to  take  the  express-train  to  Cairo,  and  find  an  Arab 
ticket-seller,  who  speaks  French,  with  a half-dozen  bag- 
gage-men around  him,  all  jabbering  in  Arabic.  One  of 
them  weighs  our  trunk  on  rude  scales ; a clerk,  with  a 
reed  for  a pen,  fills  up  a blank  receipt,  but  demands 
bakshish  before  handing  it  over.  The  tracks  of  a spider 
scrambling  over  the  paper  would  be  as  intelligible  to 
us  as  his  hieroglyphics,  but  the  writing  answers  his  pur- 
pose and  ours  also,  — the  safe  transit  and  delivery  of 
our  luggage  at  the  other  end  of  the  route. 

The  rails,  chairs,  and  sleepers  of  the  road  are  all  of  iron, 
— there  being  no  wood  in  Egypt  to  spare  for  ties.  The 
cars  are  like  those  in  use  on  the  English  railways,  with 
compartments  for  eight  persons,  — close,  hot,  suffocating. 
Our  English  cousins  do  not  appear  to  have  any  concep- 
tion of  a long,  roomy,  well-ventilated  car,  nor  have  they 
changed  their  construction  to  adapt  them  to  tropical 
climates,  but  have  sent  to  Egypt  and  India  the  close, 
uncomfortable  carriages  which  in  the  United  States 
would  be  considered  more  suitable  for  the  transportation 
of  cattle  than  human  beings.  The  road  passes  along  the 


MODERN  EGYPT. 


31 


northern  borders  of  the  ancient  Lake  Mareotis,  strikes 
diagonally  across  the  Delta,  crossing  both  the  Damietta 
and  Rosetta  branches  of  the  Nile.  The  distance  to  Cairo 
is  one  hundred  and  sixty -two  miles. 

Filth,  squalor,  poverty,  wretchedness,  are  characteris- 
tics of  the  Arab  villages,  where  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren lounge  around  the  doors  of  the  mud  huts,  gossiping 
and  examining  each  other’s  heads  ! 

It  is  the  middle  of  January,  and  clover  is  in  bloom. 
The  last  year’s  cotton  crop  has  been  picked,  and  the  dried 
stalks  of  the  plant  are  in  heaps  for  burning.  A camel  and 


IRRIGATION . 

a donkey,  yoked  together,  drag  primitive  ploughs,  which 
merely  scratch  the  soil.  Buffaloes,  harnessed  to  sweeps, 
and  travelling  always  in  a circle,  turn  creaking  wheels  to 
raise  water  from  the  creeks  for  irrigating  the  wheat-fields. 
Two  men,  with  ropes  attached  to  a basket,  giving  it  a 
swinging  motion,  scoop  the  water  from  the  river  to  a 
higher  level.  Up  the  Nile  the  Pasha  has  steam-engines, 
which  are  doing  the  work  of  thousands  of  buffaloes. 


32 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Trains  of  camels,  bearing  immense  bags  stuffed  with  cot- 
ton, wind  along  narrow  paths,  and  donkeys  as  well,  their 
heads  and  bodies  hid  by  the  bales,  and  nothing  but  their 
legs  visible.  We  pass  towns  swarming  with  people,  and 
see  women  mixing  cut  straw  with  mud,  and  moulding 
bricks  and  drying  them  in  the  sun,  — doing  just  what  the 
children  of  Israel  did  in  the  days  of  Moses.  Palm-groves 
dot  the  landscape,  and  fields  of  cane  wave  along  the  banks 
of  creeks.  Children  without  clothing  tumble  in  the  dirt 
at  the  stations,  roll  their  eyes  at  us,  and  hold  out  their 
hands  for  bakshish. 

We  cross  the  Eosetta  branch  of  the  Nile  on  a magnifi- 
cent stone  bridge  eight  hundred  and  seventy  feet  long, 
built  by  Stephenson. 

Numerous  boats,  with  triangular  sails,  are  afloat  on  the 
stream  or  moored  at  the  bank.  In  the  distance  we  be- 
hold the  pyramids ; and  after  riding  seven  hours,  reach 
Cairo,  the  capital  of  Egypt. 


HALF-DOZEN  swarthy  men  are  at  the  railway- 


station  to  receive  us,  — runners  from  the  hotels, 
shouting  the  merits  of  their  respective  houses.  We  choose 
the  Hotel  du  Nil,  take  an  omnibus,  see  our  baggage 
put  upon  a little  four-wheeled  truck  drawn  by  a diminu- 
tive donkey,  and  away  we  go,  in  a cloud  of  dust,  up 
a wide  street,  passing  through  the  donkey  and  camel 
market,  where  large  droves  of  those  cheerful  and  solemn 
animals  are  exposed  for  sale.  We  pass  beneath  tall 


CHAPTEE  IV 


CAIRO 


CAIRO. 


33 


palms  and  wide-spreading  sycamores,  where  a crowd  of 
Arab  hucksters  are  crying  their  wares ; meeting  camels 
laden  with  stone,  timber,  bundles  of  sugar-cane,  bales  of 
cotton,  and  boxes  of  goods ; donkeys  with  bunches  of 
green  clover  on  their  backs,  panniers  of  oranges,  or  great 
stone  water-jars,  and  driven  by  lively,  bare-legged  urchins  ; 
stylish  carriages,  of  Parisian  manufacture,  drawn  by 
spirited  horses,  with  monograms-  and  crests  on  the  panels  ; 
fleet-footed  boys  running  ahead  and  shouting,  “ Chemul- 
lac  ! chemullac  ! ” — “ Get  out  of  the  way  ! get  out  of 
the  way ! ” 

Leaving  the  omnibus  and  following  our  conductor,  we 
enter  a passage  so  narrow  that  with  outstretched  arms 
we  can  almost  touch  the  houses  on  either  hand.  They 
tower  above  us,  story  jutting  over  story.  Black-eyed 
women  look  out  from  latticed  windows.  Dogs  with 
bristling  mane  and  savage  teeth  snap  and  snarl  from 
nooks  and  corners  in  the  street.  They  know  by  instinct 
that  we  are  outlandish  characters,  and  proper  objects  to 
be  growled  at. 

Two  or  three  turns,  and  we  enter  a spacious  garden, 
laid  out  with  gravelled  walks,  and  surrounded  with  build- 
ings. Here  is  the  hotel,  the  rooms  opening  upon  the 
garden.  We  are  in  the  heart  of  a great  city,  and  can 
hear  the  noise  and  confusion  of  the  streets  in  the  dis- 
tance, like  the  roar  of  a far-off  waterfall.  The  shrill 
voices  of  the  donlcey-boys,  shouting  to  their  beasts,  echo 
over  the  housetops  ; but  there  are  no  distracting  sounds. 
We  may  sit  beneath  the  palms,  lie  at  ease  under  twin- 
ing vines,  breathe  the  fragrance  of  heliotropes,  roses, 
verbenas,  and  Cape  jessamines,. — myriads  of  sparrows 
chirping  around  us,  rooks  cawing  upon  the  roofs,  and 
paroquets  chattering  in  the  trees. 

At  the  entrance  to  this  paradise  are  the  sculptured 
lids  of  ancient  sarcophagi,  brought  from  old  Thebes, — 
2*  c 


34 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


wrought  by  hands  which  crumbled  to  dust  three  thou- 
sand years  ago.  We  are  never  weary  of  looking  upon  the 
calm,  peaceful,  pleasing  countenances,  types  of  a race 
which  twenty  centuries  ago  disappeared  from  the  world. 

The  hotel  is  kept  by  a German,  who  spares  no  pains  to 
make  us  comfortable.  The  attendance  is  excellent,  the 
table  bountifully  supplied,  and  the  charges  moderate. 

Cairo  is  a city  of  half  a million  inhabitants,  situated 
at  the  southern  end  of  the  Nile  Delta,  on  the  eastern 
bank  of  the  stream.  Those  who  grumble  because  Boston 
has  crooked  ways  never  would  open  their  lips  on  the 
subject  after  once  getting  lost  amid  the  turnings  and 
windings  of  this  city.  The  houses  are  mostly  of  stone, 
brought  from  quarries  along  the  Nile.  There  is  no  uni- 
formity of  style,  but  the  second  story  usually  juts  over 
the  first,  the  third  over  the  second,  the  fourth  over 
the  third,  till  at  the  top  there  is  but  a narrow  opening. 
People  in  the  upper  story  might  shake  hands  with  their 
neighbors  across  the  way.  Each  window  has  a lattice- 
work  projection,  like  a bird-cage.  The  women  of  Egypt 
are  as  well  endowed  with  curiosity  as  their  sisters  in  oth- 
er lands,  and  the  windows  are  thus  constructed  that  they 
may  see,  upon  the  sly,  what  is  gping  on  in  the  streets. 

The  lower  story  is  divided  into  cupboards  and  closets, 
the  largest  not  more  than  six  feet  square,  and  .filled 
with  goods  of  every  description,  — yellow  slippers,  turned 
up  at  the  toes  ; red  fezes  for  the  head  ; calico  of  the  gaudi- 
est colors  ; crimson  shawls,  striped  with  blue  ; green  tur- 
bans for  the  lineal  descendants  of  the  prophet ; yellow 
satin  trousers  ; rich  cloth  for  the  hangings  of  the  harems. 
In  the  tobacco  shops  are  long-stemmed  pipes,  with  am- 
ber mouth -pieces,  and  packages  of  delicately  flavored 
tobacco,  with  otto  of  rose  for  perfuming  the  water  in  the 
nargilehs.  Shoemakers,  tailors,  and  wood-carvers  sit  in 
niches  along  the  wall.  Blacksmiths  carry  on  extensive 


CAIRO. 


35 


work  in  small  closets,  making  nails,  rings,  rivets,  and 
bolts.  A sooty  urchin  crouches  in  one  corner,  working 
the  bellows,  which  is  a wind-bag  ingeniously  made  from 
the  skin  of  a goat. 

In  an  adjoining  shop  is  a gray-bearded  old  Copt, 
bending  over  a sheet  of  paper,  writing  a letter  for  a lady 
who  has  not  yet  acquired  the  rudiments  of  education.  He 
is  a professional  letter-writer,  ready  to  serve  any  customer. 


A READY  WRITER. 


Upon  the  other  side  of  the  street  a true  follower  of  the 
prophet  is  saying  his  prayers.  He  sits  cross-legged,  rocks 
backward  and  forward,  and,  suiting  word  to  action,  rolls 
out  his  devotion  in  a sing-song  tone,  unsurpassed  by  the 
hardest  shelled  preacher  of  our  Western  frontier. 


36 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Taking  a stroll  before  sunrise,  we  come  upon  a company 
of  women  whose  profession  is  to  bewail  the  dead.'  They 
have  been  abroad  all  night.  We  heard  their  lamentation 
in  the  stillness  of  the  midnight  hours,  and  thought  it 
the  howling  of  jackals.  The  company  consists  of  about 
twenty.  They  are  walking  slowly,  wearing  black  mantles, 
their  faces  veiled,  only  their  eyes  visible.  One  older  than 
the  others  seems  to  be  the  chief  screamer.  Her  voice  is 
sharp,  shrill,  piercing,  tremulous,  and  pitched  on  a high 
key.  She  leads  off  with  a screech,  and  the  others  join  in 
a chorus  such  as  can  only  be  equalled  by  a menagerie  of 
foxes,  calves,  donkeys,  puppies,  cats,  and  hyenas.  After  a 
prolonged  outburst  of  grief,  they  laugh  and  chat  awhile, 
and  then  give  way  to  another  outburst  of  uncontrollable 
sorrow ! 

This  is  no  modern  custom,  but  old  as  the  pyramids. 
When  Jacob  died,  Joseph  and  his  brethren  and  the  Egyp- 
tians wept  for  him  seventy  days,  and  when  they  went  up 
to  Hebron  to  lay  him  in  the  cave  at  Machpelah,  they 
mourned  at  Atad  “ a very  great  and  sore  lamentation,”  — 
just  such  mourning,  doubtless,  as  that  indulged  in  by  the 
wailers  of  the  present  time.  It  is  contrary  to  European 
ideas  of  grief,  but  the  Oriental,  is  dramatic,  and  so  he 
mourns  with  loud  howling. 

These  hired  wailers  recite  the  virtues  of  the  deceased, 
praising  with  extravagant  eulogy.  They  praise  much  or 
little,  howl  loud  or  soft,  make  demonstration  to  order,  as 
in  Christian  lands,  where  there  is  show,  pomp,  and  pa- 
rade of  empty  carriages  at  a funeral,  in  proportion  to  the 
amount  of  money  expended  for  the  purpose. 

The  ancient  Egyptians  took  the  lead  of  all  other  nations 
in  civilization.  They  accomplished  wonders, — reared  pyr- 
amids, temples,  statues,  and  obelisks  which  to-day  excite 
the  admiration  of  the  world.  In  arts  and  sciences  they 
were  far  advanced  ; but  not  much  can  be  said  in  praise  of 
the  inhabitants  of  the  land  at  the  present  time. 


CAIBO. 


37 


Passing  from  the  city  to  the  country,  we  see  the  houses 
built  of  bricks  dried  in  the  sun,  which  might  be  made 
comfortable  if  the  people  were  more  intelligent  and  less 
indolent. 

If  the  home  of  Miss  Betsey  Trotwood  had  been  in 
Egypt,  she  would  not  have  lived  out  half  her  days, 
but  have  died  of  exhaustion  shouting,  “ Donkeys ! 
J anet,  donkeys  ! ” Everybody  rides  a donkey.  The  sad- 
dles are  high  cushions,  so  constructed  that  we  sit  well 
back  on  the  hips  of  the  animal.  A little  Arab,  with 
wonderful  powers  of  endurance,  runs  behind,  whacking, 
punching,  and  pounding  the  creature  unmercifully,  and 
screaming  “ H-a-r-r-r  ! h-a-r-r-r  ! ” It  is  a long-drawn, 
nasal  cry.  We  try  it,  but  the  peculiar  twang  not  being 
given,  the  donkey  only  pricks  up  his  ears  at  the  strange 
sound,  without  quickening  his  pace. 

Nearly  all  the  city  transportation  is  by  donkeys  and 
camels.  The  building-stone  from  the  quarries,  three  miles 
south  of  the  city,  fire-wood,  bundles  of  sugar-cane,  sacks 
of  cotton,  wheat  and  other  grains,  are  brought  in  by  these 
animals.  The  completion  of  the  railroads  now  under 
construction  will  greatly  increase  the  facilities  for  trans- 
portation. 

In  the  fields  we  see  men  ploughing  with  a camel  and 
a cow  unequally  yoked  together.  The  yoke  is  a straight 
stick,  ten  feet  long,  slanting  at  an  angle  of  forty-five  de- 
grees from  the  neck  of  the  camel  to  that  of  the  cow. 
The  plough  is  only  a sharpened  stick,  or  the  limb  of  a tree. 
Clover  for  the  market  is  cut  by  handfuls  ■with  a small 
knife  instead  of  a scythe ! Women  trudge  ten  miles  to 
Cairo  with  earthen  jars  on  their  heads  filled  with  butter, 
a basket  of  eggs  in  one  hand  and  live  chickens  in  the 
other.  They  take  especial  care  to  cover  their  faces,  but  are 
indifferent  in  regard  to  exposing  their  persons.  The  main 
part  of  their  worldly  wealth  is  in  the  ornaments  dang- 


38 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ling  from  their  ears  and  noses,  or  displayed  on  their 
fingers  and  ankles.  Many  of  the  women  tattoo  their 
faces  and  arms.  The  men  are  capable  of  great  endur- 
ance. They  will  run  all  day  at  a mule’s  pace,  without 
food  or  drink.  During  Eamazan  they  are  not  allowed 
by  the  Koran  to  take  any  nourishment  between  sunrise 
and  sunset.  To  draw  a whiff  from  a pipe  even  would 
entail  the  loss  of  paradise. 

Some  minutes  before  the  close  of  day,  during  Eamazan, 
every  man  fills  his  pipe,  and  waits  with  listening  ears  to 
hear  the . boom  of  the  cannon  upon  the  fortress,  which  is 
fired  the  moment  the  sun  disappears  beneath  the  horizon. 
Thousands  of  matches  are  lighted  in  an  instant,  and  ten 
thousands  of  pipes  are  brought  into  use.  A cloud  of 
tobacco-smoke  suddenly  gathers  over  the  great  city. 
From  sunset  till  sunrise  men,  women,  and  children  take 
frequent  pulls  at  their  pipes,  and  spend  the  night  in 
smoking  and  feasting,  thus  fortifying  themselves  for 
the  fasting  of  the  succeeding  day.  Eamazan  continues 
forty  days,  and  through  this  long  period  q true  Moham- 
medan would  suffer  martyrdom  rather  than  permit  nour- 
ishment of  any  kind  to  pass  his  lips  during  the  day. 

Though  physically  able  to  labor  much,  these  people 
accomplish  but  little.  We  see  old  men,  sitting  cross-leg- 
ged in  groups,  smoking  their  pipes,  telling  over  and  over 
and  over  again  stories  of  the  good  old  times  of  the 
caliphs,  of  the  adventures  of  the  Forty  Thieves,  and 
other  romantic  tales  of  Arabian  life.  It  is  not  an  un- 
common thing  to  see  one  of  the  group  examining  his 
shirt  while  the  story  is  going  on,  looking  for  population 
not  put  down  in  the  census. 

These  men  are  sharper  than  any  Yankee  at  a bargain. 
The  keenest  Vermonter  would  be  outwitted  and  fleeced  by 
them.  It  is  easier  for  them  to  lie  than  to  tell  the  truth. 
If  we  make  a bargain  to  pay  them  three  shillings  a day 


CAIRO. 


39 


and  no  bakshish,  they  will  not  fail  to  ask  for  a gratuity 
when  we  come  to  the  settlement.  They  are  abusive  and 
cruel,  especially  tov/ard  the  brute  creation. 

Our  good,  kind-hearted  travelling  companion  of  the 
Boston  pulpit,  Dr.  Webb,  has  his  sympathies  quite  as 
much  enlisted  for  the  donkeys  of  Egypt  Sis  for  the  Arabs. 
Donkeys  do  not  lie,  nor  cheat,  nor  demand  bakshish : 
Arabs  do  all  three.  Donkeys  do  not  promise  much,  but 
accomplish  a great  deal : Arabs  promise  a great  deal,  but 
accomplish  little.  Their  moral  sensibility  is  deadened, 
yet  not  wholly  extinct.  They  have  been  oppressed, 
down-trodden,  taxed  by  government,  forced  to  labor  for 
the  Viceroy  without  pay  in  constructing  railroads  and 
digging  canals.  Little  has  been  done  for  their  moral  or 
mental  elevation.  But  Egypt  is  advancing  in  civilization. 
Commerce,  railroads,  steamships,  telegraphs,  the  influx  of 
travellers,  contact  with  European  nations,  and  Christianity 
will  yet  work  a wonderful  change  in  this  old  land. 

It  is  an  unpromising  missionary  field;  but  there  are 
self-denying  men  and  women  laboring  in  the  Valley  of 
the  Nile,' — missionaries  of  the  Presbyterian  Board,  — Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lansing,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Barnet,  and  several  others, 
whose  labors  are  chiefly  among  the  Copts.  The  Coptic 
Church  is  very  old.  Christianity  early  gained  a foothold 
in  Egypt,  and  through  all  the  changes,  through  all  the 
fanaticisms  of  Mussulman  rule,  it  has  had  a name  to  live. 
It  is  estimated  that  there  are  about  three  hundred  thou- 
sand Copts  in  Egypt.  They  have  a patriarch  and  priests, 
and  their  form  of  worship  is  similar  to  that  of  the  Greek 
Church.  Their  religion  is  almost  wholly  one  of  form. 

Twelve  years  ago,  when  Mr.  Barnet  came  here,  he 
had  his  servant  and  one  Egyptian,  who  could  not  un- 
derstand the  language,  and  two  Englishmen,  for  a con- 
gregation. The  seed  has  taken  root.  Now  there  are 
six  more  missionary  stations,  four  native  preachers  and 


40 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


helpers,  one  hundred  and  forty  church-members,  fifteen 
schools,  with  six  hundred  pupils.  The  annual  sale  of 
Bibles  and  religious  books  is  about  nine  thousand  vol- 
umes. Last  year  a man  of  character  became  converted 
in  one  of  the  villages  up  the  river,  and  at  once  devoted 
himself  to  preaching.  Word  came  to  Cairo  that  a won- 
derful change  had  taken  place  among  the  inhabitants  of 
the  place,  and  Mr.  Lansing,  upon  going  there,  found 
twenty-five  persons  who  gave  evidence  that  they  were 
suitable  candidates  for  church-membership. 

Such  a defection  from  the  ancient  faith  aroused  the 
wrath  of  the  patriarch.  Obtaining  a firman  from  the 
Viceroy,  he  had  several  bastinadoed,  others  cast  into 
prison,  and  three  exiled  to  Soudan,  — which  means  that 
they  were  to  be  taken  to  the  Upper  Nile,  sewed  up  in 
sacks,  and  dropped  overboard.  The  missionaries  found 
out  what  had  been  done ; representations  were  made 
to  the  English'  Consul,  who  telegraphed  to  London,  and 
back  came  a note  from  Lord  Stanley  to  the  Viceroy. 
The  exiles  were  returned,  and  those  in  prison  released. 
The  persecutions  have  ceased,  and  missionary  operations 
are  going  on  as  before. 

The  former  Viceroy,  Said  Pasha,  was  liberal,  enlight- 
ened, and  kind  to  Protestants.  He  gave  the  missionaries 
a valuable  lot  of  land  and  a house  in  Cairo,  worth  at 
the  time  of  the  gift  about  $ 40,000 ; but  the  cutting  of 
a new  street  with  other  improvements  has  quadrupled 
its  value.  The  present  Viceroy  is  of  a far  different  dis- 
position,— hard,  overbearing,  avaricious,  caring  only  for 
his  own  interest,  — and  no  favors  are  expected  from  him. 

Three  services  are  held  at  the  mission  chapel  on  the 
Sabbath,  — one  in  Turkish,  one  in  Arabic,  and  one  in 
English.  From  sixty  to  eighty  persons  attend  each  ser- 
vice. The  missionaries  feel  greatly  encouraged  by  what 
has  been  done,  but  to  an  outsider  the  look  is  dark  enough. 


THE  DELTA  OF  THE  NILE. 


41 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  DELTA  OF  THE  NILE. 

"TF  you  would  have  one  of  the  finest  views  in  all 

X Egypt,  you  must  see  the  Delta  from  the  bluffs,”  said 
a gentleman  who  has  long  resided  at  Cairo,  and  who  has 
been  up  as  far  as  Nubia. 

Following  the  direction  given,  we  thread  our  way 
through  the  narrow  streets,  reach  the  south  gate  of  the 
city,  walk  up  a winding  path,  and  stand  at  length  upon  the 
summit  of  the  bluffs  east  of  the  Nile,  and  about  a mile 
south  of  the  city.  Northward  lies  the  Delta,  clothed  in 
greenness,  — clover  in  bloom,  young  wheat  just  begin- 
ning to  ripple  in  the  passing  breeze,  groves  of  palms, 
fields  of  sugar-cane,  olive-groves,  and  orange-orchards ; 
the  Rosetta  and  Damietta  branches  of  the  Nile,  with 
numerous  creeks  and  canals,  like  threads  of  silver  wind- 
ing through  a green  carpet.  Thousands  of  boats,  with 
sails  spread  to  the  favoring  breeze,  are  afloat  upon  the 
gleaming  waters. 

At  our  feet  is  the  wonderful  old  city,  with  the  minarets 
and  white  domes  of  its  four  hundred  mosques,  its  narrow, 
winding  streets,  and  tottering  walls.  In  the  northeast  we 
can  see  the  obelisk  of  Heliopolis,  — the  tall  granite  shaft 
which  stood  there  thirty-six  hundred  years  ago,  as  chro- 
nologists  reckon  time ; upon  which,  doubtless,  Joseph 
looked  with  wondering  eyes  when  he  was  brought  a slave 
to  Egypt.  Heliopolis  is  the  ancient  On,  and  there  he 
married  his  wife,  Asenath,  daughter  of  the  prince,  or 
priest,  of  On. 

In  the  southwest  are  the  pyramids  of  Sakhara  and  Old 


42 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Memphis,  and  at  tlieir  base  is  the  site  of  that  city  which, 
in  the  time  of  Moses,  was  the  capital  of  Egypt,  the  resi- 
dence of  the  kings,  the  most  advanced  of  all  the  ancient 
capitals  in  literature,  science,  and  art. 

Beyond  the  pyramids  westward,  as  far  as  the  eye  can 
reach,  lies  the  great  desert,  its  white  sand-hills  glowing  in 
the  sun.  It  extends  across  Africa  to  the  Atlantic  Ocean, 
with  only  here  and  there  an  oasis,  — a vast,  unexplored 
region,  of  which  we  know  but  little  more  than  we  do  of 
the  extinct  craters  and  lava-fields  of  the  moon.  We  can 
trace  the  windings  of  the  Nile  far  away  by  the  glistening 
of  its  waters.  Nothing  can  surpass  the  beauty  of  the 
valley,  brightened  by  the  silver  stream.  It  is  beautiful 
by  the  contrast  of  its  luxuriant  vegetation  with  the  inde- 
scribable barrenness  and  desolation  of  the  desert. 

Below  us,  at  the  base  of  the  bluff,  is  the  citadel,  and 
near  it  a mosque  with  two  tall  white  minarets.  The 
building  was  erected  by  Mehemet  Ali,  the  ablest  and 
most  enlightened  of  all  the  modern  rulers  of  Egypt. 
Mohammedans  usually  are  not  willing  that  Christian  feet 
should  profane  the  sacred  courts  of  their  temples ; but  the 
founder  of  this  edifice,  wise  in  advance  of  his  generation, 
set  the  world  an  example  of  charity,  by  decreeing  that  it 
should  be  forever  open  to  visitors  from  all  nations,  irre- 
spective of  their  religious  belief. 

Every  one  of  the  four  hundred  mosques  has  a minaret, 
from  which  the  muezzin  calls  the  hour  of  prayer.  Many 
of  the  sacred  edifices  have  two,  some  four,  tall  white  spires, 
which  lend  a pleasing  feature  to  the  charming  view.  The 
style  of  architecture  of  Cairo  is  thoroughly  Oriental, — 
domes,  minarets,  Saracenic  arches,  and  latticed  courts ; 
but  the  masonry  is  rude,  and  the  stones  roughly  dressed. 
Though  large  sums  of  money  are  expended  in  repairs,  the 
edifices  seem  to  be  always  crumbling  to  pieces. 

There  is  not  much  to  charm  the  eye  inside  the  walls. 


THE  DELTA  OF  TIIE  NILE. 


43 


Images,  statues,  and  pictures  are  forbidden  by  the  Koran. 
There  are  no  altars  with  gorgeous  surroundings,  no  clois- 
ters or  chapels  superbly  furnished  and  adorned  by  art,  as 
in  the  churches  of  Catholic  lands.  There  is  no  pomp  or 
display  in  the  ceremonial  of  the  service,  but  eacli  wor- 
shipper kneels  by  himself,  bows  reverently  toward  Mecca, 
and  repeats  his  creed,  always  saying,  “ There  is  no  God  but 
God,  and  Mahomet  is  his  prophet.” 

Standing  by  the  citadel,  we  may  unroll  the  scroll  of 
human  history,  and  read  at  a glance  much  of  what  has 
transpired  in  Oriental  lands  from  the  time  of  Genghis 
Khan,  in  the  thirteenth  century,  to  the  present  hour. 

Nodjmaddin,  the  Sultan  of  Egypt,  purchased  of  that 
Tartar  king  twelve  thousand  Circassians  which  had  been 
taken  in  war.  The  purchaser  made  them  his  royal  troops. 
They  were  slaves,  with  nothing  to  do  except  to  fight  in 
time  of  war,  and  guard  their  master  in  time  of  peace. 
They  had  Northern  blood  in  their  veins,  had  breathed  the 
pure  air  of  the  mountains  of  their  native  land,  on  the 
shores  of  the  Caspian  Sea.  From  being  slaves  they  in 
due  time  became  masters,  murdered  the  Sultan,  and  placed 
one  of  their  number  upon  the  throne  in  1254.  For  two 
hundred  and  sixty-three  years  they  ruled  Egypt,  and 
made  their  power  felt  throughout  the  East. 

The  Mameluke  dynasty  was  overthrown  in  1517  by 
Selim,  first  Sultan  of  Turkey,  who,  though  he  appointed 
a Turkish  pasha  as  governor,  was  compelled  by  force  of 
circumstances  to  continue  in  office  twenty-four  beys  as 
governors  of  provinces.  This  state  of  affairs  lasted  about 
two  hundred  years.  The  Mamelukes,  as  a body,  main- 
tained their  organization  through  the  long  period,  always 
obtaining  recruits  from  Circassia.  During  the  latter  por- 
tion of  the  last  century  their  power  was  so  consolidated 
that  they  dictated  orders  to  the  Turkish  governors. 

In  1773,  three  years  before  the  declaration  of  Amer- 


44 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ican  independence,  the  chieftains  chopped  off  the  head 
of  Ali  Bey,  and  took  possession  of  the  government. 

A few  years  later,  in  1798,  Napoleon  came,  and  it  was 
out  yonder,  within  sight  of  the  pyramids,  when  con- 
fronted by  Murad  Bey,  that  he  made  that  soul-stirring 
address  to  his  soldiers,  — “Forty  centuries  look  down 
upon  you ! ” 

Never  was  there  a braver  cavalry  charge  than  that 
made  by  the  Mamelukes  on  those  yellow  sands.  They 
rode  round  the  hollow  squares  of  the  French,  dashed 
against  them  like  a thunderbolt,  and  broke  through  the 
lines,  their  sabres  dripping  with  blood,  but  only  to  be 
repulsed  by  superior  discipline. 

Beading  the  account  of  that  conflict,  we  can  but  ad- 
mire their  bravery  in  battle.  A touching  instance  of  the 
tenderness  of  one  of  these  troopers  towards  his  faithful 
horse  is  recorded.  He  had  broken  through  the  outer  and 
inner  lines,  and  was  alone  inside  the  square,  his  sabre 
crimson  with  gore,  his  horse  wet  with  foam,  and  weak 
from  loss  of  blood.  Finding  himself  alone,  the  desperado 
threw  his  arms  upon  the  ground,  leaped  from  his  horse, 
patted  the  animal’s  neck,  kissed  him  affectionately,  and 
then  gave  himself  up  a prisoner. 

Mehemet  Ali  was  Viceroy  in  1811,  and  the  chiefs  of 
the  Mamelukes,  while  he  was  absent  at  Suez  with  a por- 
tion of  the  army,  formed  a conspiracy  to  assassinate  him 
upon  his  return,  and  take  the  government  into  their 
own  hands.  He  was  informed  of  the  plot,  hastened 
to  Cairo,  invited  the  chiefs  to  the  citadel  to  a feast 
given  upon  the  occasion  of  his  son’s  departure  for  Mecca, 
on  a pilgrimage  to  the  tomb  of  the  prophet.  The 
chiefs  came  in  a body,  the  iron  gate  opened  to  admit 
them,  and  quickly  turned  upon  its  ponderous  hinges 
as  they  dashed  into  the  grand  square.  Mehemet 
Ali  sat  on  the  ten-ace  upon  a richly  embroidered  carpet, 


THE  DELTA  OF  THE  NILE. 


45 


and  received  them  graciously.  In  the  courts  and  pas- 
sages his  faithful  guards  from  the  Albanian  Mountains 
were  stationed,  ready  to  obey  commands  and  carry  out 
instructions.  The  Viceroy  raised  his  hand,  and  court, 
alley,  and  passage  blazed  with,  musketry.  Horse  and 
rider  rolled  in  the  dust.  All  but  one  of  the  four  hundred 
and  fifty  were  shot  upon  the  spot ; he,  Emir  Bey,  reck- 
less of  life,  sprang  over  the  parapet  on  horseback,  fell 
with  his  steed  down  the  jagged  rocks,  and,  strange  to  say, 
escaped  ! ’ Othdrs  in  the  city  and  country  were  massa- 
cred ; and  thus  by  one  bold,  bloody  stroke  the  Mamelukes 
were  exterminated. 

Cairo,  like  other  Eastern  cities,  is  divided  by  walls 
into  sections,  with  gates,  which  are  closed  at  night.  The 
Copts,  Jews,  and  Franks  have  their  respective  quarters. 
There  are  no  street-lamps,  and  few  persons  go  abroad 
after  dark.  All  who  go  out  in  the  evening  must  have 
a lantern,  or  they  will  be  arrested  by  the  police. 

We  do  not  propose  in  this  volume  to  give  a detailed 
narrative  of  our  visit  to  the  pyramids  ; neither  to  dwell 
upon  the  speculations  and  theories  of  learned  men  in 
regard  to  the  purpose  for  which  they  were  erected,  — 
whether  as  tombs  of  the  ancient  kings,  triumphal  monu- 
ments commemorative  of  victories,  or  for  astronomical 
observatories.  But  there  they  stand,  in  solemn  grandeur, 
the  mystery  of  the  ages,  wonderful  relics  of  an  extinct 
and  bygone  civilization. 

They  are  twelve  miles  from  Cairo,  across  the  Nile,  but 
easily  reached  and  ascended  without  danger. 

Each  visitor  ascending  the  great  pyramid  must  pay 
fifty  cents  to  an  old  Arab  sheik,  who  has  the  monop- 
oly from  the  Pasha.  The  tribe  of  rascals  who  live  in 
a human  ant-hill  near  by  offer  their  services  to  help 
us  to  the  top.  They  meet  us  with  sardonic  grins,  while 
we  are  upon  the  road,  saying  in  tortured  English, 


46 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


“Me  help  you,  master.  Me  good  for  Yankee  Doodle.” 
They  have  an  idea  that  all  Americans  are  Yankee 
Doodles,  though  we  doubt  whether  they  have  any 
definite  idea  what  the  term  means  ; neither  have  we, 
for  that  matter.  But  there  is  one  thing  upon  which 
they  have  clear  convictions,  — that  Americans  are  green- 
horns, with  pockets  full  of  money.  They  are  impor- 
tunate in  their  demands  for  bakshish.  We  have  heard 
of  their  rascalities,  — how  they  sometimes  get  a timid 
traveller  xipon  the  top  of  the  pyramid,  and  threaten  to 
leave  him  there  unless  he  satisfies  their  demands  ; how, 
even  if  they  do  not  threaten,  they  allow  one  no  peace, 
but  beg  unceasingly.  Only  a week  before  our  arrival 
they  fleeced  a gentleman  out  of  five  dollars.  Knowing 
this,  we  are  prepared  for  them. 

Selecting  two  from  the  crowd  to  wait  upon  us,  we  make 
the  following  speech,  which  we  record  for  the  benefit  of 
those  who  may  have  occasion  to  visit  the  pyramids  : — 

“ If  you  take  us  to  the  top,  and  bring  us  safely  back, 
without  saying  bakshish,  we  will  pay  you  when  jve 
come  down ; but  if  you  ask  for  money,  we  shall  give  you 
nothing.  Do  you  understand  ? ” 

“ Yes,  master.” 

So,  with  their  aid,  we  reach  the  top,  look  out  upon  the 
landscape  at  pleasure,  and  descend  without  annoyance, 
satisfying  them  with  twenty  cents  apiece. 

Travellers  are  usually  severe  in  their  denunciations  of 
the  Arabs,  who  beg  unblushingly,  and  cheat  in  petty  ways 
at  every  opportunity,  — taking  an  extra  piaster  in  making 
change,  selling  scented  water  for  pure  otto  of  roses,  and 
practising  many  other  deceits ; but  for  swindling,  fraud, 
and  robbeiy  there  are  no  Bedouins  of  the  desert  that 
equal  the  hackmen  and  stock-jobbers  of  New  York. 


THE  SUEZ  CANAL. 


47 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  SUEZ  CANAL. 


EN  years  ago  there  was  a man  in  Paris,  in  the  full 


vigor  of  manhood,  tall,  well-proportioned,  a pleasant 
gentleman,  with  undeveloped  power  beneath  a calm  ex- 
terior, — a diplomat  in  a small  way,  known  at  court,  in 
the  saloons,  on  the  Bourse,  and  in  bankers’  chambers,  but 
whose  name  had  scarcely  been  mentioned  outside  of  Paris, 
who  became  possessed  of  an  idea,  — old  as  the  Pharaohs, 
— that  of  cutting  a canal  from  the  Mediterranean  to  the 
Red  Sea. 

He  reflected  seriously  upon  the  wants  of  modern  com- 
merce, its  progress,  its  prospective  developments.  Eng- 
land had  a weekly  line  of  steamers  to  India.  Passengers 
by  thousands  were  crossing  the  Isthmus  of  Suez ; all 
high-priced  goods  went  that  way ; why  should  not  heavy 
merchandise  as  well  ? Must  vessels  forever  go  creeping 
down  the  African  coast,  rounding  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
ploughing  their  long  furrows  across  the  Indian  Ocean  ? He 
believed  that  modern  enterprise  and  modern  engineering 
would  make  the  short  cut  available.  He  thought  it  over ; 
read  about  it,  talked  of  it,  spent  sleepless  nights  and 
wearisome  days  while  heating  up  with  the  enterprise. 
He  laid  his  scheme  before  his  friends,  interested  com- 
mercial men  in  it,  talked  of  its  glory,  its  value  to  the 
world,  and  especially  to  the  French  nation. 

The  attention  of  M.  Lesseps  was  drawn  to  the  project 
by  reading  the  report  of  M.  le  Pere,  who  was  employed 
by  Bonaparte  to  make  a survey  in  1798.  M.  Lesseps’s 
father  was  attached  to  the  French  consulate  at  Cairo, 


48 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


through  whose  influence  the  son  obtained  access  to  Said 
Pasha,  before  whom  he  unfolded  his  plan  in  1854. ' After 
months  of  talking  and  of  indefatigable  effort,  the  enter- 
prise took  shape  in  the  formation  of  La  Compagnie  Uni- 
verselle  du  Canal  Maritime  de  Suez. 

The  charter  is  to  continue  ninety-nine  years,  the  man- 
aging directors  to  be  appointed  by  the  Egyptian  govern- 
ment from  the  largest  stockholders,  and  the  work  to  he 
done  wholly  at  the  expense  of  the  company.  The  Egyp- 
tian government  is  to  receive  fifteen  per  cent,  annually,  of 
the  earnings ; seventy-five  per  cent  is  to  go  to  the  general 
stockholders,  and  ten  per  cent  to  the  original  founders ; 
the  tariff  is  to  he  the  same  for  ships  of  all  nations,  and 
the  canal  is  to  become  the  property  of  the  Egyptian  gov- 
ernment at  the  termination  of  the  ninety-nine  years. 
Other  items  in  the  concession  provided  that  four  fifths  of 
the  laborers  were  to  he  Egyptians,  who  should  receive 
two  thirds  as  much  compensation  per  diem  as  Europeans, 
and  not  less  than  twenty  thousand  fellahs  were  to  he 
furnished  by  the  Viceroy.  The  government  also  conceded 
a large  tract  of  land  on  the  Delta,  — the  same  territory 
which  was  given  by  Pharaoh  to  Joseph  for  his  father 
and  brethren,  thirty-five  hundred  and  seventy  years  ago. 

Everybody  knows  that  the  Isthmus  of  Suez  is  a narrow 
neck  of  land  connecting  Asia  with  Africa.  Geologists 
inform  us -that  formerly  the  Pied  Sea  united  with  the 
Mediterranean.  An  examination  of  the  belt  of  land 
shows  that  it  has  widened  since  the  commencement  of 
authentic  history.  The  Gulf  of  Suez,  — the  upper  por- 
tion of  the  Eed  Sea, — a few  centuries  ago,  extended  much 
farther  inland  than  now.  There  has  been  a literal  fulfil- 
ment of  Isaiah’s  * prophecy  in  regard  to  the  drying  up  of 
the  tongue  of  the  Egyptian  Sea. 

This  enterprise  of  M.  Lesseps  is  by  no  means  a new  one, 


* Isaiah  xi.  15. 


THE  SUEZ  CANAL. 


49 


50 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


for  in  tlie  time  of  Sesostris,  thirteen  centuries  before  Christ, 
when  Egypt  was  in  its  glory,  the  whole  Delta  was  irrigated 
from  the  Nile  by  canals,  one  of  which  extended  to  the 
small  lakes,  which  are  seen  in  the  accompanying  map,  and 
from  them  to  the  Gulf  of  Suez. 

When  Pharaoh  Necho  was  on  the  throne,  617  B.  C., 
a canal  was  commenced  to  connect  the  two  seas,  as  He- 
rodotus informs  us  ; hut  Necho  stopped  the  undertaking, 
having  been  informed  by  the  Theban  oracle  that  the 
maritime  nations  of  the  North  would  be  enabled  to  invade 
the  land  if  the  enterprise  was  carried  out.  The  canal  was 
finished,  however,  in  the  reign  of  his  successors,  and  was 
used  for  centuries.  It  was  open  in  the  time  of  Alexander 
the  Great,  and  it  was  also  open  when  Cleopatra  was  mak- 
ing Mark  Antony  a slave  to  her  beauty.  The  Egyptian 
galleys  which  escaped  the  defeat  at  Actium  were  taken 
through  it  to  the  Pied  Sea.  That  ancient  canal,  according 
to  Pliny,  was  about  one  hundred  feet  wide.  After  the 
downfall  of  the  Eoman  power  in  the  East  it  was  neg- 
lected, and  became  filled  with  sand,  though  the  line  is 
still  easily  traced. 

When  Bonaparte  was  in  Egypt  he  commissioned  M.  le 
Pere  to  make  a survey  of  the  is.thmus.  He  was  looking 
out  for  some  means  of  circumventing  England  in  the  far 
East.  France  must  control  the  wealth  of  the  East  Indies. 
A canal  would  give  her  a short  route.  But  the  whirl  of 
affairs  in  Europe  put  an  end  to  the  scheme. 

The  work  which  M.  Lesseps  proposed  to  accomplish 
was  to  construct  a canal  which  should  accommodate  first- 
class  sea-going  steamers.  He  must  not  only  excavate  the 
canal,  but  make  a harbor  on  the  Mediterranean  side,  — a 
herculean  task  ; but  he  had  full  faith  that  modern  science 
was  sufficient  to  accomplish  it,  provided  he  could  obtain 
the  funds. 

The  spirit  of  commercial  enterprise  was  coming  up  in 


THE  SUEZ  CANAL. 


51 


France.  The  Messageries  Imperiales  had  their  steamers  on 
every  sea,  and  were  competing  successfully  with  England 
in  the  far  East.  Commercial  men  were  ready  to  subscribe. 
Government  lent  a favorable  ear.  Prospective  power  and 
glory  helped  the  indefatigable  projector.  But  it  was  an 
enterprise  for  the  world,  not  for  France  alone.  England 
was  called  upon,  but  Lombard  Street  had  no  funds  for 
such  a project.  It  was  ridiculed.  Lesseps  was  insane. 
The  bankers  of  the  Bourse  were  fools.  What  did  French- 
men know  of  commercial  enterprise  ? Besides,  it  was  for 
the  glory  and  honor  of  France.  England  could  not  throw 
her  money  into  such  a ditch.  So  from  first  to  last  the 
scheme  has  been  ridiculed,  scouted,  condemned,  declared 
to  be  an  impossibility  by  the  English  people  and  English 
press.  We  have  talked  with  many  Englishmen  about  it, 
and  almost  without  exception  they  declare  that  it  will  be 
a stupendous  failure ; it  never  will  be  carried  through ; 
the  sand  will  blow  in  faster  than  it  can  be  scooped  out ; it 
never  will  pay ; the  company  will  fail ; the  whole  thing 
will  come  to  grief ; another  instance  of  French  stupidity 
and  want  of  common  sense  in  commercial  enterprise. 
Such  is  English  opinion. 

The  opposition  of  England  has  been  more  than  pas- 
sive. The  Viceroy  still  acknowledges  allegiance  to  the 
Sultan ; and  when  the  concession  was  laid  before  him 
Lord  Palmerston,  through  the  English  Ambassador  at 
Constantinople,  brought  his  influence  to  bear,  and  per- 
suaded the  Sultan  to  object  to  the  article  in  regard  to 
the  employment  of  twenty  thousand  Egyptian  laborers. 
Work  had  commenced,  but  came  to  a stand-still,  and 
England  said  the  canal  never  would  be  finished. 

To  fully  comprehend  this  magnificent  undertaking,  let 
us  see  the  country  as  it  was  before  a shovelful  of  earth 
had  been  thrown  out. 

It  is  a little  more  than  ninety  miles  from  the  Mediter- 


52 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ranean  to  the  Bed  Sea,  along  the  route  most  feasible  for 
the  project.  The  engineers,  sailing  along  the  Mediter- 
ranean coast,  came  to  the  Bay  of  Pelusium,  the  great 
maritime  port  of  Egypt  thirty  centuries  ago,  whence  the 
canal  of  the  Pharaohs  was  excavated  to  the  salt-water 
lakes,  forty  miles  inland.  But  the  harbor  of  Pelusium  is 
filled  with  sand,  the  hay  is  shallow,  exposed  to  north 
winds,  and  unsuited  to  modern  commerce.  Twenty  miles 
west  of  this  ancient  harbor  they  saw  a low  line  of  sand, 
— a mere  embankment,  three  or  four  hundred  feet  wide, 
three  feet  above  the  sea,  — thrown  up  by  the  ever- 
restless  waves,  and  behind  it,  reaching  twenty  miles  in- 
land, a lagoon  or  lake,  half  salt  and  half  fresh,  connected 
with  the  sea  by  two  narrow  inlets,  and  with  the  Damietta 
branch  of  the  Nile  by  numerous  creeks.  In  the  lake 
the  average  depth  of  water  would  not  exceed  five  feet. 

Beyond  it  they  came  to  a strip  of  marsh,  five  miles 
wide.  Crossing  that  they  found  a few  sand-hills,  and 
then  a shallow  lake  of  salt  water  ten  miles  long,  with 
sandy  marl  beneath.  Beaching  the  centre  of  the  isthmus, 
they  ascended  the  plateau  of-  El  Guisir,  four  miles  wide,  — 
a ridge  of  sand,  marl,  and  clay,  heaped  from  twenty-five 
to  one  hundred  feet  above  the  mean  level  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean. Beyond  this  they  found  another  small  lake,  then 
another  sand-ridge,  — the  plateau  of  Serapsum,  — not  so 
high  as  that  of  El  Guisir,  but  a succession  of  hills,  twenty 
to  seventy-five  feet  higher  than  the  sea. 

Beyond  this  lies  a basin  ten  miles  long,  deep  enough 
to  serve  the  purposes  of  navigation,  filled  with  bitter 
water.  In  the  time  of  Moses  this  undoubtedly  was  a part 
of  the  Bed  Sea,  — “ the  tongue  of  the  Egyptian  Sea,”  re- 
ferred to  in  prophecy,  which  was  to  be  dried  up.  The 
sand-storms  of  the  desert,  through  the  slowly  rolling  cen- 
turies, have  done  their  work.  The  blinding  drifts  from 
the  hot  and  parched  wastes  have  kept  creeping  in  from 


THE  SUEZ  CANAL. 


53 


year  to  year,  till  the  natural  out- 
let, and  the  canal  of  the  an- 
cients, of  which  we  see  vestiges 
here  and  there,  have  both  been 
filled. 

Notwithstanding  the  oppo- 
sition of  England,  and  the  with- 
drawal of  the  Egyptian  work- 
men, Lesseps  persevered;  ob- 
tained laborers  from  Italy, 
France,  Greece,  and  "Wallachia ; 
and  brought  in  a bill  against 
the  Pasha,  who  finally  consent- 
ed to  submit  all  questions  which 
had  arisen  to  the  arbitration  of 
Louis  Napoleon.  The  Emper- 
or of  France  decided  that  the 
Viceroy  should  pay  a sum 
amounting  to  sixteen  million 
eight  hundred  thousand  dollars 
to  the  company,  on  labor  ac- 
count, and  also  for  the  surren- 
der of  certain  lands  on  the 
Delta,  which  had  been  granted 
to  the  company  by  the  conces- 
sion. This  was  in  1864.  Up 
to  that  time  the  work  had 
lagged ; but,  through  the  inde- 
fatigable energy  of  Lesseps,  it 
never  wholly  ceased.  He  had 
called  around  him  men  of  sxen- 
ius,  who,  after  repeated  trials, 
invented  excavating  machines, 
which  have  accomplished  the 
work  more  quickly  and  with 


ELGUISIR 


54 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


greater  economy  than  it  could  possibly  have  been  done  by 
the  forced  labor  put  on  by  the  Pasha. 

The  line  selected  by  Lesseps  is  just  one  hundred  miles 
in  length.  The  canal,  when  completed,  will  have  the  fol- 
lowing dimensions : — 

Width  at  top  .....  328  feet. 

Width  at  bottom  ....  246  “ 

Depth  .......  26  “ 

There  are  no  locks  nor  impediments  of  any  kind ; nor 
is  there  any  difference  of  level  between  the  two  seas,  ex- 
cept, what  may  be  occasioned  by  the  tides. 

Having  taken  this  preliminary  outlook,  we  are  prepared 
to  see  what  has  been  accomplished. 

We  are  in  the  Bay  of  Pelusium,  on  one  of  the  steamers 
of  the  Messageries  Imperiales  Company,  with  a sailor  at 
the  mast-head  on  the  lookout  for  Port  Said. 

Ho  high  hills  greet  the  sight,  but  only  a low  sand-beach, 
a forest  of  masts,  a city,  and  two  breakwaters  extending 
into  the  sea.  The  wind  is  fresh,  and  the  waves  are  dash- 
ing furiously  against  the  newly  constructed  wall,  which 
extends  from  the  beach  straight  out  into  the  sea  eight 
thousand  one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  feet.  Passing 
the  end  of  the  wall  we  are  sheltered  by  it ; and  though 
the  breakers  are  thundering  within  a few  feet  of  us,  — so 
near  that  the  spray  falls  upon  our  deck,  — we  are  in 
calm  water. 

It  is  not  solid  masonry,  laid  up  with  nicely  fitting  joints, 
but  composed  of  blocks  of  stone  weighing  twenty-two 
tons  each,  which  were  manufactured  on  the  beach,  brought 
out  on  lighters,  and  tumbled  into  position.  They  consist 
of  hydraulic  lime,  brought  from  Thiel  in  Prance,  and 
sand  shovelled  up  on  the  shore,  — the  proportions  being 
one  of  lime  and  three  of  sand.  The  composition  is  mois- 
tened with  salt  water,  mixed  and  moulded  by  machinery, 


THE  SUEZ  CANAL. 


55 


and  allowed  to  dry  three  months  before  being  used.  The 
eastern  wall  will  be  about  five  thousand  feet  in  length, 
not  parallel  to  the  western,  but  converging  toward  it 
seaward,  giving  an  area  of  about  five  hundred  acres.  Be- 
fore us  are  thousands  of  the  huge  stones  manufactured 
by  this  process  drying  in  the  sun,  as  if  this  were  a brick- 
yard, and  Samson  and  Goliath,  and  their  brothers  the 
strong  men,  had  been  striking  them  off.  Men  are  at 
work  handling  timber,  shovelling  sand,  unlading  mules. 
There  are  numerous  coalers  in  the  port,  for  all  the  coal 
used  by  the  steam-dredges  on  the  canal,  by  the  tugs,  and 
by  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  steamers  on  the  Eed  Sea, 
and  by  the  transport  steamers  carrying  supplies  to  the 
Abyssinian  Expedition,  is  discharged  here. 

The  town  contains  about  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  and 
is  rapidly  increasing.  The  streets  bear  French  names*  — 
one  of  the  main  avenues  being  the  Quay  Eugenia.  Arti- 
cles of  European  and  Asiatic  manufacture  may  be  pur- 
chased in  the  shops.  Adventurers  throng  the  streets,  — 
army  contractors  from  England,  lively  Frenchmen  over 
from  Paris  with  knick-knacks.  Monsieur  Vareau,  who 
has  had  the  honor  to  appear  before  his  Majesty  the  Em- 
peror, will  give  a stance  in  “ slight  of  hand,”  as  flaming 
posters  inform  us. 

The  greater  part  of  the  inhabitants  are  Arabs,  and  they 
live  in  happy  indolence.  Many  are  stretched  upon  the 
sand,  where  the  sun  shines  hottest,  sound  asleep,  the  flies 
buzzing  around  their  nostrils  like  bees  around  a hive. 
Jugglers  and  gamblers  are  here,  ready  to  transfer  the 
earnings  of  the  workmen  on  the  canal  to  their  own 
pockets. 

The  harbor  and  canal  are  excavated  by  steam.  The 
excavators  are  of  enormous  size.  Imagination  may  pic- 
ture a machine  as  tall  as  a church-steeple,  ponderous  iron 
wheels  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  buckets  as  big  as  hogs- 


56 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


heads,  on  an  endless  chain  ; an  iron  conductor,  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet  in  length,  that  serves  to  carry  the 
sand  over  the  hank  of  the  canal,  when  brought  up  by  the 
buckets.  There  are  seventy-two  of  them,  each  costing 
from  eighty  to  one  hundred  thousand  dollars.  They  are 
worked  by  powerful  engines,  and  eat  their  way  with  great 
rapidity  through  the  desert.  Those  who  have  seen  the 
dredges  in  use  in  the  harbors  of  our  great  cities  will 
be  able  to  form  some  idea  of  the  magnitude  of  these 
machines. 

Standing  upon  the  bank  of  the  canal,  and  beholding 
the  chain  of  buckets  coming  out  of  the  water,  discharging 
their  contents  into  one  end  of  the  long  conductor,  and  a 
stream  of  water  and  sand  pouring  from  the  other ; re- 
membering that  every  wheel,  pinion,  bolt,  rivet,  and  nut 
has  been  brought  from  France,  and  put  up  here  ; that  all 
the  coal  used  for  the  operation  of  the  excavators  has 
been  mined  a thousand  feet  underground  in  England, 
and  shipped  to  this  place,  — we  can  but  admire  the 
genius,  energy,  and  perseverance  of  the  man  who  be- 
gan this  great  enterprise,  who  has  carried  it  on  to  the 
present  time,  and  who  will  have  it  completed  in  October, 
1869. 

Although  the  work  was  commenced  seven  years  ago,  lit- 
tle progress  was  made  till  1865.  All  the  first  machines 
failed.  There  was  no  fresh  water  for  the  workmen,  and 
a canal  was  dug  to  the  Nile  to  obtain  it,  from  which 
pipes  were  laid  across  the  salt  marshes  to  Port  Said ; the 
place  otherwise  would  have  been  uninhabitable.  All  the 
provisions  consumed  had  to  be  transported  on  camels, 
and  often  not  more  than  three  days’  rations  were  on 
hand.  These  difficulties  have  been  overcome.  The  water 
of  the  Mediterranean  already  flows  half-way  across  the 
isthmus,  while  from  that  point  barges,  tug-boats,  and 
small  steamers  pass  over  the  fresh-water  canal  to  the  Eed 


THE  SUEZ  CANAL. 


57 


Sea  at  Suez.  The  canal  is  already  competing  with  the 
railroad  from  Alexandria  to  Suez,  — contractors  deliver- 
ing coal  at  the  latter  port  four  dollars  and  fifty  cents 
cheaper  than  by  the  railroad.  A mail-boat  passes  daily 
from  .port  to  port.  The  canal,  when  completed,  will  be 
three  hundred  feet  wide ; but  all  efforts  now  are  directed 
towards  opening  a channel  one  hundred  and  eighty  feet 
in  width. 

The  quantity  of  earth  which  will  have  been  excavated 
when  the  canal  is  finished  will  be  not  far  from  ninety- 
seven  million  cubic  yards.  A conception  of  the  amount 
may  be  obtained  by  thinking  of  a line  of  earth  one  yard 
high  and  one  in  width,  reaching  more  than  fifty-five 
thousand  miles,  or  twice  around  the  globe  ! 

The  full  capacity  of  the  dredging-machines  employed 
is  about  two  million  seven  hundred  thousand  cubic  yards 
per  month ; one  machine  has  taken  out  one  hundred  and 
six  thousand  per  month.  The  cost  of  the  machinery  is 
about  twelve  million  dollars. 

Going  southward  from  Port  Said,  we  find  ourselves  at 
once  on  the  shallow  Lake  Menzaleh,  through  which  a 
channel  has  been  excavated  for  twenty-nine  miles.  The 
dredging-machines  are  still  at  work  widening  and  deepen- 
ing a space  for  the  inner  harbor.  Tugs  are  towing  barges 
loaded  with  mud  out  to  sea,  where  it  is  dropped  into  deep 
water. 

Beyond  Lake  Menzaleh  low  sand-hills  are  encountered, 
which  continue  several  miles.  Across  these  hills,  running 
from  the  southwest  to  the  northeast,  is  the  caravan  road 
from  Egypt  to  Syria.  Probably  no  portion  of  the  earth’s 
surface  has  been  more  tramped  over  than  this  narrow 
strip  of  sand,  between  Menzaleh  and  the  smaller  body  of 
water  south  of  it,  — Lake  Ballah.  All  the  armies  of  the 
old  nations,  — Egyptians,  Assyrians,  Persians,  Grecians, 
Eomans,  — armies  of  modern  times,  in  the  numberless 

3* 


58 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


wars  which  have  been  waged  in  the  East,  have  marched 
over  it.  It  was  one  of  the  great  highways  of  the  Old 
World.  In  those  days  the  travel  was  from  Egypt  to  the 
northeast,  but  in  future  it  is  to  be  from  sea  to  sea. 

The  canal  passes  through  Lake  Ballah,  eight  miles  to 
El  Guisir,  the  highest  elevation  on  the  line.  The  Arabic 
pronunciation  of  words  is  about  as  puzzling  as  the  French. 
English  orthographic  rules  are  of  no  account  in  speaking 
Eastern  languages.  El  Guisir  is  pronounced  Eb  Girsh  ! 

This  ridge,  in  some  places,  has  an  elevation  of  seventy 
feet,  but  being  of  sand,  it  is  easily  excavated. 

Beyond  is  Lake  Timseh,  which  is  seventeen  feet  lower 
than  the  Nile,  and  which  is  connected  with  that  stream 
by  a fresh-water  canal,  forty  feet  wide,  nine  deep,  ex- 
tending to  the  town  of  Zagazig,  fifty  miles  distant. 

This  canal  was  excavated  to  bring  fresh  water  to  the 
ship-canal  for  the  supply  of  the  workmen  during  its  con- 
struction, for  ships  after  the  work  is  accomplished,  and 
to  irrigate  the  surrounding  country.  Five  years  ago  this 
whole  region  was  a desert,  but  now  there  are  fields  of 
barley,  young  palm-groves,  fruit-trees,  flowers,  vegetation 
springing  up  everywhere,  — the  once  barren  waste  liter- 
ally blooming  with  roses. 

It  is  said  that  the  extended  cultivation  of  this  delta 
already  has  affected  the  climate ; that  there  'are  heavier 
dews  and  more  frequent  showers.  The  opening  of  fresh- 
water canals  and  extensive  irrigation  will  largely  increase 
the  area  of  cultivated  land.  Water  turned  upon  the 
sand,  if  long  continued,  will  bring  forth  vegetation  and  in 
time  make  a fertile  soil,  — so  wonderful  is  the  economy 
of  nature. 

Upon  the  northern  shore  of  this  interior  lake  are  the 
offices  of  the  company,  at  the  town  of  Ismalia.  A line 
of  railway  has  been  opened  from  this  port  to  Alexandria, 
and  Ismalia  has  become  a large  town. 


THE  SUEZ  CANAL. 


59 


From  Lake  Timseh  to  the  Red  Sea  the  canal  passes 
through  a region  of  hitter  lakes  and  sand-ridges,  where 
more  or  less  dredging  is  required. 

M.  Lesseps  has  given  much  attention  to  the  sand-drifts 
which  are  ever  encroaching  upon  the  delta.  No  diffi- 
culty is  apprehended  from  that  source.  There  are  only 
a few  points  where  sand  will  drift  into  the  canal,  and 
these  can  he  kept  clear  with  the  dredges.  The  estimate 
of  the  engineers  is  that  two  machines  will  keep  the  chan- 
nel free. 

Between  Lake  Timseh  and  the  Red  Sea  we  find  a 
basin,  which,  though  dry  now,  evidently  was  once  a por- 
tion of  the  Gulf  of  Suez.  The  depression  is  about  seven 
miles  long  and  five  in  width,  with  salt  incrustations.  The 
land  between  this  basin  and  the  Red  Sea  is  quite  low ; 
and  those  who  have-  studied  the  formation  assure  us  that 
the  Gulf  of  Suez,  at  a comparatively  recent  period,  ex- 
tended to  this  basin.  Some  biblical  scholars  are  of  the 
opinion  that  the  water  of  the  Red  Sea  filled  it  when  the 
children  of  Israel  fled  from  Egypt,  and  that  this  present 
low  reach  of  sand,  where  marine  shells  crunch  beneath  our 
feet,  was  a wide  sand-bar  at  the  time.  A north  or  east 
wind,  blowing  for  any  considerable  length  of  time,  com- 
bined with  a low  tide,  would  have  made  it  completely 
bare. 

Residents  along  the  shores  of  Champlain  could  tell  us 
of  the  effects  sometimes  produced  on  that  lake  by  long- 
prevailing  northern  winds.  Shipmasters  in  the  harbor 
of  Buffalo  sometimes  see  the  water  becoming  shallow 
beneath  the  keels  of  their  vessels,  by  the  continuance  of 
northeast  storms.  It  was  but  last  year  that  the  flow 
of  water  over  Niagara  was  greatly  diminished  by  the 
northeast  wind  blowing  for  several  days  up  Lake  Erie. 

The  account  in  Exodus  of  the  passage  of  the  Israelites 
through  the  Red  Sea  acquires  new  force  when  read  on 


60 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


this  spot.  The  event  becomes  not  only  possible,  but 
probable.  Instead  of  being  in  the  domain  of  the  miracu- 
lous, it  is  under  natural  law.  The  description  is  plain  : — 

“ And  the  Lord  caused  the  sea  to  go  back  by  a strong 
east  wind  all  that  night,  and  made  the  sea  dry  land,  and 
the  waters  were  divided,  and  the  children  of  Israel  went 
into  the  midst  of  the  sea  upon  dry  ground.” 

While  the  favoring  wind  continued,  the  sand-bar  was 
dxy  ; but  a sudden  change  of  the  wind  to  the  south,  and 
an  incoming  tide,  six  feet  and  a half  high,  — the  height 
to  which  it  rises  now,  — would  quickly  change  the  scene. 
It  was  on  the  shore  of  this  same  Gulf  of  Suez  that  Napo- 
leon, while  riding  along  the  beach  at  low  tide,  came  near 
being  overwhelmed  by  the  sudden  returning  of  the  waters. 

The  distance  from  this  basin  to  the  Eed  Sea  is  twelve 
miles,  and  the  whole  of  the  sandy  plain  is  only  a foot  or 
two  above  the  sea.  Even  now  a high  tide  and  a strong 
southerly  wind,  sweeping  up  the  gulf,  between  the  high 
mountain  walls  which  border  its  eastern  and  western 
shore,  sometimes  overflows  a large  portion  of  this  ancient 
sand-bar. 

The  opening  of  the  railway  and  the  overland  travel  be- 
tween Europe  and  the  East  has  already  built  up  a town 
of  twenty-five  thousand  inhabitants  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  Eed  Sea.’  All  around  is  desert,  but  the  water  of  the 
Nile  has  been  brought  there,  and  the  great  transformation 
has  commenced.  We  see  a large  railway-station,  three  or 
four  hotels,  offices  of  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Com- 
pany, one  hotel  owned  by  that  company,  where  we  sit 
down  to  substantial  beef  and  pudding.  The  town  is 
Egyptian,  with  narrow  streets,  houses  built  from  dried 
brick  and  stone  from  the  cliffs  along  the  Eed  Sea,  bazaars 
like  those  of  Cairo,  a swarthy  crowd  of  Arabs,  negroes, 
Nubians,  Hindoos,  Italians,  Spaniards,  Germans,  French- 
men, EngEshmen,  Eussians,  and  Turks. 


THE  SUEZ  CANAL. 


61 


The  canal  company  has  constructed  a breakwater  half 
a mile  long,  which  extends  westward  from  the  eastern 
side  of  the  upper  end  of  the  gulf,  to  protect  shipping  from 
the  strong  southerly  gales  which  sometimes  blow  with 
almost  the  force  of  a hurricane.  The  day  before  our  arri- 
val great  damage  was  done  to  the  small  Egyptian  craft 
in  the  harbor,  by  a gale  which  came  on  suddenly,  and 
blew  furiously  throughout  the  day. 

The  original  capital  of  the  Suez  Canal  Company  was 
forty  million  dollars  ; but  it  became  evident  some  time  ago 
that  it  would  not  suffice  to  complete  the  work,  and  bonds 
were  issued  of  the  value  of  sixty  dollars,  bearing  five  dol- 
lars annual  interest,  and  payable  in  fifty  years  at  one 
hundred  dollars.  The  holders  would  thus  receive  more 
than  eight  per  cent  per  annum  on  the  investment,  be- 
sides the  increase  of  forty  dollars  on  each  share  at  the 
time  of  payment.  But  the  French  public  were  not  confi- 
dent that  the  enterprise  would  pay,  and  only  about  six 
million  dollars  were  taken. 

But  the  enterprise  had  proceeded  so  far,  and  was  so 
dear  to  the  Emperor,  that  permission  was  given  to  estab- 
lish a lottery,  in  which  there  were  prizes  varying  from 
four  hundred  dollars  to  thirty  thousand,  to  be  drawn 
quarterly,  and  the  total  amount  was  to  be  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars. 

The  lottery  bonds  were  to  draw  three  per  cent,  and 
there  was  to  be  no  loss  of  subscription.  But  the  in- 
vestment was  sure  to  return  three  per  cent,  with  a chance 
for  one  of  the  magnificent  prizes. 

The  French  people,  ever  on  the  alert  for  anything  ex- 
citing, rushed  to  secure  the  bonds,  and  in  a few  days  the 
company  had  between  fourteen  and  fifteen  million  dollars 
additional  capital.  The  receipts  from  all  sources  thus  far 
amount  to  about  seventy  million  dollars,  which,  at  the 
present  rate  of  expenditure,  will  open  the  canal.  Steamers, 


62 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


whether  screw  or  side- wheel,  will  make  the  transit  from 
sea  to  sea  in  twenty-four  hours. 

M.  Lesseps  is  sanguine  in  his  expectation  that  the  canal 
will  become  the  great  maritime  highway  of  the  world. 
He  anticipated  at  the  outset  that  three  million  tons  of 
merchandise  per  annum  would  take  this  route.  The  time 
saved  between  England  and  India  would  he  about  twenty 
days.  But  to  offset  this,  there  is  the  tariff,  which  will  be 
two  dollars  per  ton,  and  the  insurance  of  four  per  cent 
by  the  Bed  Sea  route,  against  two  per  cent  by  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope.  Whether  it  accomplishes  all  that  its 
projector  anticipates  or  not,  it  will  secure  for  him  a 
place  in  history  as  one  of  the  most  indefatigable,  ener- 
getic, and  persevering  of  men. 

We  saw  him  in  the  Hall  of  Industry  in  Paris,  at  the 
distribution  of  prizes,  receive  the  gold  medal  from  the 
hands  of  the  Emperor.  He  alone  of  all  the  favored 
recipients  was  greeted  with  applause  by  the  vast  as- 
sembly. 

His  work  will  remain  forever  a monument  to  his 
genius  and  energy  in  attempting  to  serve  the  interests 
of  the  whole  human  race. 


CHAPTEB  VII. 

FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 

IT  was  Easter  Sunday,  and  a gala-day  at  Suez.  There 
was  firing  of  guns  and  pistols,  blowing  of  trumpets, 
beating  of  drums,  and  jingling  of  donkey-bells.  All 
the  flags  in  town  were  displayed.  Ordinarily  the  Chris- 
tians of  the  Latin  Church  in  Eastern  countries  work  on 
the  Sabbath,  but  on  this  occasion,  in  commemoration  of 


FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 


63 


The  resident  population  of  Suez  are  mainly  Arabs,  and 
of  course  Mohammedans.  Last  week  they  had  one  of 
the  yearly  fasts  commanded  by  the  Koran.  No  food  — 
not  a crumb  of  bread  nor  a drop  of  water,  not  a whiff 
of  smoke  even  — could  pass  their  lips  between  sunrise  and 
sunset.  The  tongue  might  be  parched,  fever  might  rage  in 


the  resurrection  of  the  Saviour,  they  had  a jollv  time. 
It  was  a day  for  feasting,  dancing,  and  general  revelry. 
On  Friday  and  Saturday  the  flags  were  at  half-mast,  be- 
cause on  those  days  Christ  lay  in  the  tomb ; but  on  the 
dawn  of  Easter  Sunday  they  were  run  up  to  mast-head, 
to  signify  that  he  had  risen. 


EASTER  SUNDAY. 


64 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


the  blood,  they  might  fall  by  the  roadside  from  sheer  ex- 
haustion, but  nothing  could  be  taken.  Easting  with  the 
Mussulman  is  no  sham ; not  a closing  of  the  shop,  in 
accordance  with  the  proclamation  of  the  governor,  and 
then  having  a good  dinner  and  attending  the  theatre  in 
the  evening.  Abdallah  and  Yusef  believe  that  fasting 
means  salvation.  They  believe  and  obey  then  Bible,  — 
the  Koran.  They  are  consistent. 

But  evidences  are  not  wanting  to  show  that  a change 
is  taking  place  in  the  Mohammedan  faith.  Abdallah  and 
Yusef  take  it  into  then  heads  to  visit  Paris,  — that  para- 
dise of  the  West,  of  which  they  have  heard  so  much. 
Here  they  put  on  full  flowing  trousers  of  yellow  satin,  a 
pink  sash  of  finest  silk,  and  a green  robe  fringed  with 
ermine.  Morning,  noon,  and  night  they  bow  toward  • 
Mecca,  and  ask  the  protection  of  Jdie  prophet.  But  in 
Paris  they  appear  in  pantaloons.  When  noon  comes 
they  find  no  place  upon  the  crowded  boulevard  where 
they  can  spread  their  carpet  for  prayer ; and  when  they 
enter  the  Jardin  Mabille  they  forget  all  about  Mecca. 
When  they  get  back  to  Constantinople  or  Cairo  they 
observe  the  sacred  fasts # with  roast-turkey  and  cham- 
pagne, just  as  the  governor’s  fast  is  observed  in  Boston. 
The  world  is  moving  in  more  senses  than  one ; but  where 
is  it  going  to  ? 

Suez  is  one  of  the  half-way  houses  of  the  world. 
Every  Sunday  the  town  is  kept  in  a bustle  by  the  ar- 
rival and  departure  of  steamers.  In  the  morning  we 
witness  a rush  of  English  passengers  from  Calcutta, 
which  are  sent  off  at  nine  o’clock  to  Alexandria.  At 
noon  another  crowd  arrives  by  the  Bombay  steamer, 
which  are  sent  off  to  Alexandria  in  the  evening ; and 
following  these,  two  regiments  of  troops  on  their  way 
home,  after  ten  years’  service  in  the  East,  accompanied 
by  wives,  sweethearts,  and  a young  regiment  of  infantry, 


FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 


65 


of  the  children  pale  and  sickly,  reminding  us  of  beans 
just  peering  above  ground,  as  colorless  as  potato-sprouts 
in  a cellar.  They  would  be  weak  and  puny  were  they 
to  remain  in  the  East,  but  the  fresh  air,  roast-beef,  and 
ale  of  England  will  make  a wonderful  transformation  in 
a few  months. 

Suez  is  an  excellent  place  for  studying  national  charac- 


two  hundred  and  eighty  strong,  born  in  India ; and 
then,  just  before  sunset,  a train  with  passengers  outward 
bound  for  the  Bombay  steamer. 

It  is  hot  weather,  and  the  birds  are  flying  north  ; and 
not  more  surely  does  summer  bring  the  swallow  from  the 
south  back  to  the  shores  of  Old  England  than  it  calls 
home  flocks  of  her  people  from  India.  A large  propor- 
tion of  those  returning  are  women  and  children.  Many 


GOING  HOME. 


G6 


OUR  NEW  WAV  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


teristics.  Yankees  who  come  to  see  the  canal  lose  none 
of  their  curiosity,  Frenchmen  none  of  their  politeness, 
Britons  none  of  their  angles.  Contact  with  Hindoos  and 
Chinese  does  not  affect  the  pronunciation  of  Englishmen. 
They  are,  if  anything,  more  intensely  English  than  they 
were  before  leaving  home. 

“ Shall  we  find  it  very  hot  in  India  at  this  season  of 
the  year  ? ” we  ask  of  a gentleman  at  the  dinner-table. 
“ Hit  depends  very  much  were  you  hare,  and  ’ow  you 
do  hit.  Hif  you  ’eat  your  blood  in  Hindia,  you  will  feel 
the  ’eat.  Has  far  has  heating  is  concerned,  don’t  ’ave 
hany  care ; heat  wat  you  please.” 

“ You  will  find  it  very  ’ot,  sir,”  says  a lady ; “ you  will 
wish  you  was  Inn  han  hice-’ouse.”  She,  peril  aps,  would 
be  sorely  puzzled  to  understand  what  we  were  driving 
at  if  we  were  to  inform  her  that  there  were  extra  h's  in 
her  speech. 

“ Nonsense  ! ” exclaims  a gentleman,  in  such  English 
as  an  American  is  accustomed  to  hear,  without  an  extra 
h or  o.  “ I have  been  in  India  ten  years,  and  have  never 
been  troubled  with  the  heat.  I eat  anything  and  every- 
thing, snap  my  fingers  in  the  faces  of  the  doctors,  and  am 
just  as  good  as  new.” 

With  such  comforting  and  assuring  words,  we  step  on 
board  the  steam-tug,  and  just  at  sunset  reach  the  deck 
of  the  steamship  Baroda,  of  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental 
line,  bound  for  Bombay,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Hazlewood.  Several  other  steamers  are  in  the  harbor, 
some  belonging  to  the  Messageries  Imperiales  Company, 
which  is  competing  with  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  line 
for  China  trade  and  travel. 

On  Monday  morning  we  are  ploughing  a long  furrow 
down  the  Gulf  of  Suez  over  calm  waters.  We  behold  the 
mountains  of  the  Sinai  and  Horeb  range  eastward,  and 
another  range  quite  as  lofty  westward.  There  are  ragged 


FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 


67 


68 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


rocks  and  sharp  peaks ; perpendicular  cliffs,  without  a 
sign  of  vegetation.  There  is  no  grass,  no  flower,  no  shrub 
or  tree,  nothing  but  the  everlasting  rock  to  cast  a shadow 
in  the  weary  land.  The  mountains  are  as  bare  as  in  the 
primeval  years.  In  the  hollows  and  gorges  there  are 
drifts  of  white  sand,  whirled  up  by  the  hot  winds  of  the 
desert,  gleaming  in  the  blazing  sun  like  the  glaciers  of 
the  Alps.  Over  all  the  range  there  falls  a purple  light, 
which  changes  to  reddish  hues  as  the  sun  sinks  into  the 
west.  Its  crimson  colors,  reflected  in  the  sea,  give  a name 
to  this  arm  of  the  Indian  Ocean,  reaching  one  thousand 
three  hundred  and  forty  miles  inland. 

Mount  Sinai  is  not  visible  from  the  steamer,  a range  of 
hills  rising  abruptly  from  the  water  hiding  it  from  our 
view.  One  can  hardly  realize  that  just  over  those  bleak 
and  barren  hills,  — so  forbidding,  so  incapable  of  support- 
ing human  life,  — that  the  children  of  Israel  lived  forty 
.years;  that  there  the  world  received  that  short  and  sim- 
ple code  of  laws  which  Jesus  Christ  summed  up  in  one 
sentence,  “ Thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  heart,  and  thy  neighbor  as  thyself  ” ; upon  which  hang 
not  only  all  the  law  and  the  prophets,  but  all  that  is 
good,  just,  and  right  in  all  other  codes.  Sometimes  a per- 
son is  almost  tempted,  in  these  days  when  materialism  is 
asserting  its  mighty  powers,  to  doubt  that  wonderful  his- 
tory of  the  past;  to  say  that  no  multitude  ever  marched 
down  the  desolate  coast,  amid  those  burning  sands,  with 
the  mountain  wall  glowing,  like  a heated  furnace  about 
them,  lived  among  these  mountains  year  after  year,  and 
finally  reached  the  land  of  Canaan  ; but  a?  the  pyramids 
in  their  solemn  grandeur  attest  that  Egypt  four  thousand 
years  ago  was  peopled  by  a mighty  race,  so  there  are  in- 
disputable witnesses  to  the  truth  of  the  Bible  history 
of  the  children  of  Israel. 

A little  way  up  from  the  sea-sliore  are  fountains  sur- 


FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 


69 


rounded  by  a patch  of  green.  They  are  known  as  the 
wells  of  Moses,  — the  bitter  water  of  Marah  once,  but 
sweet  and  refreshing  now.  It  was  at  this  season  of  the 
year  — in  April  — that  the  Israelites  marched  over  these 
sands,  gleaming  then,  as  now,  in  the  hot  sun,  and  drank 
of  the  fountains.  It  is  a place  where  we  might  profitably 
sit  down  and  muse  upon  the  past,  — trace  the  history  of 
that  wonderful  people,  peculiar  then,  peculiar  now,  who 
have  preserved  their  national  characteristics  from  that 
day  to  the  present.  The  Egyptians  and  the  Assyrians 
have  disappeared  ; Greece,  Rome,  — all  the  old  nations, 
have  passed  away  ; the  new  nations  are  changing, — some 
going  out  like  a candle’s  flickering  flame,  others  just 
beginning  to  shed  their  light;  but  the  Jews,  though 
having  no  national  organization,  though  scattered  to  every 
land  and  clime,  are  Jews  still.  How  happens  it  ? 

Two  days’  steaming  brings  us  opposite  Mecca,  which 
lies  one  hundred,  and  twenty  miles  inland.  Djiddah  is 
the  port,  the  landing-place  for  all  pilgrims  who  go  from 
the  West  to  the  holy  shrine  of  the  prophet.  The  days  of 
great  caravans  from  Egypt  have  passed,  never  to  return. 
Occasionally  one  comes  from  the  East  or  the  North  over 
the  deserts,  but  by  far  the  largest  number  of  pilgrims  land 
at  Djiddah.  • They  are  brought  down  the  Red  Sea  by  the 
Pasha’s  steamers.  It  is  the  easiest  and  cheapest  route,  and 
Ismail  Pasha  makes  a good  thing  of  it.  In  January,  Feb- 
ruary, and  March  the  Russian,  Austrian,  and  Egyptian 
steamers  from  Constantinople  and  Smyrna  to  Alexandria 
are  loaded  with  pilgrims,  who,  if  they  can  reach  Mecca,  care 
little  whether  they  live  or  die,  for  they  are  sure  of  an  en- 
trance into  paradise.  The  number  of  pilgrims  this  year  is 
said  to  be  much  smaller  than  in  previous  years.  We  have 
heard  no  reason  assigned  ; possibly  there  are  hard  times 
in  the  desert.  It  is  not  in  Boston,  New  York,  and  Chi- 
cago alone  that  men  talk  of  hard  times,  of  high  prices  of 


70 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


living ; but  we  hear  it  at  Constantinople,  Cairo,  Jerusalem, 
and  Damascus.  It  costs  the  Bedouin  more  to  live  now 
than  it  did  before  the  gold-fields  of  California  and  Aus- 
tralia were  discovered,  — before  the  slaveholders  of  the 
United  States  quadrupled  the  price  of  cotton  by  the 
Rebellion,  and  threw  the  whole  world  into  a fever  of 
speculation.  It  probably  is  not  from  any  waning  of  faith 
in  Mohammedanism  that  there  are  fewer  pilgrims,  but 


BOUND  FOR  MECCA. 


from  want  of  means  to  reach  Mecca.  Yet  there  are  some 
indications  that  infidelity  is  creeping  into  Islam.  Fanati- 
cism is  disappearing,  other  religions  are  tolerated,  and  the 
injunctions  of  the  Koran  not  so  implicitly  obeyed  as  in 
former  years. 

Below  Mecca  is  Mocha,  the  great  coffee  port  of  Arabia. 
We,  pass  it  at  night,  but  its  minarets  are  visible  in  the 
daytime  from  the  deck  of  the  steamer.  The  coffee 


FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 


71 


is  raised  in  the  interior,  in  Arabia  Felix,  and  brought 
down  on  camels.  The  flavor  of  the  Mocha  coffee  is  very 
mild  and  agreeable ; but  we  will  not  dwell  upon  the  sub- 
ject, for  painful  it  must  be,  in  these  days  of  burnt  beans, 
roasted  corn,  chiccory,  and  carrots,  to  think  of  those  good 
old  times  when  everybody  knew  that  breakfast  was  ready 
by  the  delicious  aroma  which  exhaled  from  the  coffee-pot 
in  the  kitchen. 

Probably  there  is  no  body  of  water  in  the  world  which 
is  more  dangerous  to  navigate  than  the  Red  Sea.  In 
the  northern  portion  the  wind,  almost  throughout  the 
year,  blows  from  the  north  ; at  the  southern  end  it  blows 
as  uniformly  from  the  south ; while  in  the  middle,  near 
the  tropical  line,  it  frequently  does  not  blow  at  all.  These 
counter  breezes  produce  currents  which  set  in  various 
directions,  occasionally  strong  enough  to  sweep  steamers 
out  of  their  course.  They  are  irregular,  sometimes  scarcely 
perceptible,  at  others  almost  as  powerful  as  the  Gulf 
Stream  of  the  Atlantic,  or  that  other  ocean  river  which 
flows  along  the  coast  of  Japan. 

“ We  have  to  steer  to  a degree  in  this  sea ; we  can- 
not run  by  the  points  of  the  compass,”  says  Captain 
Hazlewood,  -who  never  relaxes  his  vigilance,  but  keeps  a 
sharp  lookout  day  and  night. 

Notwithstanding  the  care  and  caution  exercised  by  the 
Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company,  several  of  their  ves- 
sels have  been  wrecked. 

As  yet  there  are  but  three  light-houses  between  Suez 
and  the  Straits  of  Babel-man-deb,  a distance  of  more  than 
thirteen  hundred  miles.  Two  of  them  are  on  dangerous 
reefs,  which  lie  almost  in  the  path  of  the  steamers.  One 
is  forty  miles  from  the  main-land.  At  low  tide  the  reef 
shows  itself  above  the  water,  and  those  who  have  the 
care  of  the  light  can  walk  a few  'rods  upon  the  sand. 
The  Egyptian  government  keeps  three  men  stationed 


72 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


there,  who,  after  ninety  days’  service,  are  allowed  one 
month’s  absence,  their  places  being  supplied  by  others. 
Think  of  being  cooped  up  in  an  iron  box,  a little  larger 
than  a bird-cage,  set  on  stilts  in  the  middle  of  the  sea, 
the  waves  foaming  beneath,  the  spray  dashing  against  the 
trembling  structure,  the  mercury  at  87°  in  midwinter  and 
140°  in  June  ! 

It  is  well  for  the  rest  of  us  that  men  can  be  found  who 
are  willing  to  be  grilled  and  roasted  in  that  oven.  The 
dangers  from  currents,  winds,  reefs,  and  heat  are  so  many 
that  sailing  vessels  never  will  navigate  the  Bed  Sea  to 
any  great  extent,  unless  towed  by  steamers,  — a matter 
to  be  taken  into  account  in  estimating  the  benefits  to  be 
derived  from  the  Suez  Canal. 

At  the  southern  extremity  of  the  sea  is  the  island  of 
Perim,  situated  near  the  Arabian  coast,  and  commanding 
the  channel.  It  is  nearly  two  miles  long  and  three  fourths 
of  a mile  wide,  with  a light-liouse  upon  its  highest  point. 
It  is  a barren  rock,  the  perfection  of  desolation,  but  impor- 
tant in  a military  point  of  view.  It  belonged  to  Turkey, 
but  England  took  possession  of  it  in  1857,  and  holds  it 
by  a squad  of  English  troops,  who  are  relieved  every 
three  months. 

Louis  Napoleon  sent  a fleet  round  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope  to  seize  this  position,  which  commands  the  highway 
to  India.  The  admiral,  on  his  way,  called  at  Aden,  one 
hundred  miles  east,  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  English. 
Of  course  there  was  a dinner,  and  while  the  champagne 
went  round  one  of  the  subalterns  let  out  the  secret  that 
they  were  going  to  Perim.  While  they  tarried  over  the 
wine,  the  English  commander  sent  a gunboat  and  seized 
the  place.  The  Frenchman  in  due  time  departed  to  exe- 
cute his  mission,  and  found  the  British  flag  flying  on  the 
rock,  and  a company  of  soldiers  in  camp.  No  fortifica- 
tions have  been  erected,  but  England  having  once  seized 


FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 


73 


territory  is  not  in  the  habit  of  giving  it  up,  and  so  the 
soldiers  remain. 

The  narrow  strait  connecting  the  Eed  Sea  with  the 
Indian  Ocean  bears  the  Arabic  name  of  Babel-man-deb, 
— the  “ Gate  of  Tears.”  Here  many  a pilgrim  bound  for 
Mecca,  to  make  paradise  sure  by  kissing  the  holy  stone  in 
the  Kdbah,  has  had  his  hopes  cut  short  by  finding  a grave 
beneath  the  turbulent  waters. 

It  was  across  this  narrow  passage,  according  to  Rawlin- 
son,  that  the  sons  of  Cush  journeyed  east  from  Upper 
Egypt  and  Abyssinia  to  the  Euphrates,  and  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  the  first  Assyrian  Empire,  several  hundred  years 
before  the  confusion  of  tongues.  Solomon’s  ship,  from 
Ezion-geber,  sailed  through  these  straits,  and  crept  along 
the  coast  to  India ; and  in  the  time  of  the  Ptolemies  small 
vessels  edged  their  way  from  headland  to  headland ; but 
from  that  time  to  the  establishing,  of  the  Peninsular  and 
Oriental  line  of  steamships  few  sails  whitened  these 
waters.  Now  steamers  pass  almost  daily,  and  it  has  be- 
come one  of  the  gateways  of  the  world.. 

The  great  coaling  station  of  the  Indian  Ocean  is  at 
Aden,  on  a peninsula  which  juts  out  from  the  Arabian 
coast  in  the  form  of  a sickle.  Hours  before  reaching  it  we 
have  rugged  mountains  in  view,  which  rise  from  the  point 
of  the  peninsula,  and  which,  ages  ago,  were  seething,  bub- 
bling, thundering  volcanoes.  The  cones  are  about  one 
thousand  feet  high,  and  it  is  hardly  possible  to  conceive 
of  a place  more  desolate,  barren,  and  forbidding  than 
the  confused  heaps  of  lava  and  pumice  which  rise  be- 
fore us. 

But  the  harbor  is  capacious  and  well  protected  by 
these  mountains  of  cinders  from  the  heavy  sea  which 
breaks  on  the  Arabian  coast  during  the  southwest  mon- 
soon. As  we  approach  the  entrance  we  behold  fifteen 
steamers  and  over  forty  ships  and  barks  in  port,  be- 

4 


74 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


sides  numerous  small  craft  of  the  Arabian  coast.  The 
Rangoon,  from  Bombay ; the  Nubia,  from  Calcutta,  with 
China  passengers,  have  just  dropped  anchor.  The  Ben- 
gal, from  Bombay,  with  troops,  is  getting  up  steam  to 
depart  for  Annesley  Bay ; the  Agamemnon,  with  more 
troops,  is  about  to  follow ; the  French  steamer  for  Ceylon 
and  China,  and  the  steamer  for  Mauritius,  are  waiting 
mails  and  passengers ; gunboats  and  war  steamers  are 
waiting  orders  ; tugs  steam  here  and  there  with  barges  in 
tow  ; Arab  sail-boats,  with  prows  like  the  snouts  of  lean 
swine,  with  high  poop-decks  like  the  vessels  which  we  see 
in  olcl  pictures,  are  cutting  round  the  harbor,  manned  by 
bareheaded,  bare-breasted,  bare-legged  men,  some  with 
shaveh  crowns,  others  with  mops  of  yellow  hair,  in  tex- 
ture, fibre,  curl,  and  kink  like  the  wool  of  Southdown 
sheep,  their  complexion  a dingy  bronze,  their  clothing 
a strip  of  cloth  wrapped  round  the  loins.  Besides  these 
there  are  smaller  boats,  a trifle  larger  than  chopping-trays, 
managed  by  boys,  flourishing  paddles  shaped  like  mus- 
tard-spoons. 

They  swarm  around  the  steamer,  looking  up  with  eager 
eyes  for  the  dropping  of  a piece  of  money  overboard. 
We  throw  a penny  into  the  water,  and  in  an  instant  every 
boat  is  emptied.  A family  of  young  frogs  sunning  them- 
selves on  the  brink  of  their  native  pool,  just  changed 
from  tadpoles  to  froghood,  lithe  and  nimble,  could  not 
jump  in  more  quickly.  Down  they  go  to  the  bottom. 
We  see  them  groping  for  the  prize, .which  wdien  found 
is  fiercely  fought  for.  They  struggle,  wrestle,  pull  each 
other’s  hair,  beneath  the  waves,  then  come  to  the  surface, 
one  of  them  clutching  the  treasure.  They  climb  into 
their  trays,  bail  out  the  water  with  their  hands,  and  beg 
in  unintelligible  gibberish  for  another  toss. 

Some  of  the  adult  natives,  wearing  little  clothing,  but 
with  hair  enough  on  their  heads  to  stuff  a hassock,  come 


FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 


75 


NATIVES  OP  ADEN. 

erected.  Provisions  for  the  garrison  sufficient  for  a three 
years’  siege  are  stored  in  the  fortress.  Wide  streets,  a 
well-built  quay,  substantial  buildings,  attest  the  energy 
and  enterprise  which  has  worked  a wonderful  transfor- 
mation on  this  heap  of  cinders.  Fresh  provisions  are 
brought  in  by  the  Arabs.  Sweeping  the  northern  hori- 
zon with  a glass,  We  see  a low  plain,  with  mountains  in 
the  far  distance,  an  Arab  village,  palm-trees,  and  other 


on  board  with  ostrich-plumes  for  sale.  Many  English 
ladies,  journeying  to  or  from  India,  supply  themselves 
with  feathers  here  at  prices  much  cheaper  than  those 
charged  by  the  milliners  of  London  or  Calcutta. 

The  place  is  strongly  fortified  by  batteries  commanding 
the  harbor.  The  English  call  it  the  Gibraltar  of  the 
East.  Immense  tanks  have  been  made  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  rain-water,  and  a distilling  apparatus  has  been 


76 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


signs  of  verdure,  so  that  Aden  is  not  the  dreariest  place 
in  the  world.  Being  a half-way  station  on  the  great  East- 
ern highway,  it  lias  become  an  important  place,  which 
England  will  hold  so  long  as  her  flag  floats  over  the  soil 
of  India. 

Steamers  are  almost  as  numerous  on  the  Indian  Ocean 
as  on  the  Atlantic.  The  traffic  and  travel  between  India 
and  England  is  so  great  that  a large  fleet  is  required.  The 
Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company  have  just  made  a con- 
tract with  the  British  government  for  carrying  the  mails 
during  the  next  twelve  years.  They  have  in  all  forty- 
nine  steamers,  distributed  as  follows : Twelve  on  the 

Mediterranean,  six  between  Suez  and  Calcutta,  thirteen 
between  Bombay  and  Suez,  three  between  Ceylon  and 
Sydney,  seven  between  China  and  Japan,  and  eight  trans- 
ports. Most  of  these  are  from  eighteen  hundred  to  two 
thousand  tons.  They  run  at  a lower  speed  than  the  At- 
lantic steamers,  the  contract  time  being  nine  and  a half 
knots  per  hour.  A higher  rate  requires  a large  consump- 
tion of  coal,  which  is  a great  item  where  it  costs  fifteen 
dollars  per  ton.  The  contract  stipulates  for  a weekly 
mail  between  Suez  and  Bombay,  a fortnightly  mail  be- 
tween Suez,  Ceylon,  Hong  Kong,  • Shangliae,  and  Yoko- 
hama, and  a monthly  mail  from  Ceylon  to  Australia. 
The  Bombay  and  the  Calcutta  and  China  steamers  all  run 
to  Suez,  and  all  touch  at  Aden.  The  travel  is  so  great  in 
the  spring  and  fall  that  it  is  not  unusual  for  passengers 
to  secure  their  tickets  six  months  in  advance.  The  offi- 
cers are  courteous,  and  look  well  after  the  comfort  and 
convenience  of  the  passengers,  — at  least  such  is  the  case 
on  the  Baroda.  Captain  Hazlewood  is  an  excellent  com- 
mander ; keeps  his  ship  neat  and  tidy,  is  sociable  at  table, 
ever  ready  to  do  anything  to  make  the  time  pass  pleas- 
antly to  his  passengers.  Each  steamer  is  provided  with  a 
physician,  steward,  stewardess,  and  a troop  of  waiters. 


FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 


77 


The  crews  are  mainly  Hindoos  and  Malays,  who,  under 
European  officers,  make  excellent  sailors.  They  are  light 
and  agile,  run  up  the  shrouds,  slip  down  the  ropes,  or 
hang  dangling  in  the  air  like  monkeys,  doing  their  work 
without  grumbling. 

The  table  is  spread  with  a bountiful  supply  of  substan- 
tial food,  yet  many  of  the  passengers  find  fault  with  the 
fare.  Set  forth  the  best,  and  they  will  want  it  a little  bet- 
ter, or  at  least  a little  different.  Accustomed  to  have  the 
juiciest  beef  at  home,  they  growl  and  lose  their  temper,  and 
make  themselves  red  with  swearing  because  they  cannot 
have  it  equally  tender  in  the  tropics.  But  they  get  good 
mutton-chop.  There  are  a half-dozen  pens  amidships, 
filled  with  the  long-eared  sheep  of  the  East,  which  take 
on  fat  easily,  and  do  not  lose  it  on  shipboard  in  these 
hot  climates.  The  breakfast  chops  are  delicious,  and  the 
joints  sweet  enough  for  an  epicure.  Considering  that  the 
route  of  the  steamers  from  Suez  to  China  is  wholly 
within  the  tropics,  it  is  surprising  what  excellent  dinners 
the  steward  can  provide. 

Passengers  must  be  prepared  for  hot  weather.  The 
atmosphere  for  about  six  hundred  miles  is  steamy  and 
sticky.  Knives,  watch-keys,  watch -pinions,  rivets,  screws, 
and  bolts  in  trunks  or  about  the  ship,  take  on  a coat 
of  rust.  In  midsummer  the  heat  on  the  Bed  Sea  is 
fearful.  The  negro  firemen  have  sometimes  dropped  dead 
by  the  furnaces,  in  the  months  of  June,  July,  and  August ; 
but  no  one  travels  then,  unless  compelled  by  military 
orders  or  the  imperative  demands  of  business.  The  pas- 
sage in  the  winter  and  spring  months  is  delightful.  Our 
trip  across  the  Indian  Ocean  lias  been  over  a smooth  sea, 
with  a gentle  breeze,  sufficient  to  keep  us  comfortable, 
though  the  mercury  is  nearly  up  to  ninety.  The  waves 
are  smooth  now ; but  a month  hence,  in  May,  the  south- 
west monsoon  will  be  blowing,  and  then  there  will  be 
lively  times  on  shipboard. 


i 


78 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  uative  boats  which  navigate  this  ocean  have  sharp, 
thin,  low  bows,  high  and  wide  stern ; one  tall  mast  for- 
ward, supporting  a great  square  lateen-sail ; a short  mast 
aft,  carrying  a narrow,  triangular  sail.  Americans  would 
hardly  venture  upon  such  boats  for  a trip  from  one  head- 


RATHER  WARM. 


land  to  another.  Yet  these  East-Indians,  without  sex- 
tant or  quadrant,  and  with  but  little  knowledge  of  the 
science  of  navigation,  having  only  a rude  native  compass 
and  log,  strike  boldly  out  to  sea,  and  make  the  passage 
to  Aden,  a distance  of  nearly  seventeen  hundred  miles. 

At  this  season  of  the  year  they  have  cloudless  days  and 
nights,  make  their  way  by  the  sun  and  stars,  and  can 
keep  tolerable  reckoning ; but  it  is  a voyage  that  few  of 
us  would  like  to  undertake,  unless  compelled  by  stem 
necessity. 

We  are  not  without  entertainment  on  board  the  steamer. 
Every  night  the  forward  deck  presents  a lively  scene. 


FROM  EGYPT  TO  INDIA. 


79 


The  sailors  are  fond  of  dancing,  and  are  not  at  all  particu- 
lar about  their  partners.  Hearing  the  orchestra  tuning 
up,  we  go  forward  and  find  a red-faced  Englishman, 
with  distended  cheeks,  blowing  fearful  blasts  on  an  old 
brass  trumpet,  a full-grown  Malay  scraping  a violin,  and 
a little  Hindoo  boy  tooting  a flageolet.  Rhythm  and 


THE  JOLLY  MARINERS. 


melody  are  of  no  particular  account,  noise  is  everything; 
and  the  crew  are  enjoying  themselves  with  break-downs 
and  double-shuffles.  The  louder  the  music  the  more  vig- 
orous the  action.  An  Irishman  and  a negro  undertake  a 
waltz,  whirling  round  the  capstan  amid  the  enthusiastic 
cheers  of  the  admiring  crowd. 


80 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


BOMBAY. 


OOKING  northward  from  the  deck  of  our  steamer, 


we  behold  a long  line  of  breakers  tumbling  over  a 
rocky  reef.  Around  us  hundreds  of  sail-boats  are  bowing 
and  courtesying  on  the  waves,  like  partners  in  a quadrille  ; 
before  us  lie  a fleet  of  ships  at  anchor,  slowly  swinging 
with  the  tide;  beyond  them,  through  the  haze  of  the 
morning,  we  dimly  see  the  confused  mass  of  buildings 
which  constitute  the  city  of  Bombay.  Forming  the  back- 
ground are  hillocks,  crowned  with  palm-trees,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  bay  ; while  eastward  and  southward  the  ocean 
is  bounded  by  hills  and  mountains.  Such  is  our  first  view 
of  India. 

Steaming  into  the  harbor,  we  are  met  by  a tug,  which 
slowly  works  its  way  alongside,  puffing  and  wheezing  like 
an  old  man  afflicted  with  the  asthma.  The  mail-bags  are 
taken  on  board,  an  immense  pile,  the  weekly  correspond- 
ence between  England  and  India.  The  custom-house 
officers  come  on  board,  and  courteously  perform  their  duty ; 
and  then  the  native  boatmen  quickly  take  us  to  the  land- 
ing. There  are  no  piers  or  docks  in  the  harbor ; steam- 
ships and  sailing  vessels  anchor  in  the  stream,  and  every- 
thing is  transferred  to  lighters.  Carriages  are  waiting, 
and  we  are  whirled  up  a wide  avenue,  turning  now  to  the 
right,  now  to  the  left,  amid  scenes  unlike  anything  in 
Constantinople,  Damascus,  or  Cairo. 

The  Byculla  Hotel  is  said  to  be  the  best  in  Bombay. 
It  is  a building  about  two  hundred  feet  long,  seventy  wide, 


BOMBAY. 


81 


and  four  stories  high,  with  green  lattice-work  from  the 
bottom  to  the  top,  as  if  it  was  a huge  hennery ; but, 
alighting  from  our  carriage,  we  enter  a portico,  and  find 
a wide  veranda  behind  the  lattice.  The  lower  story  is 
one  vast  room.  In  the  centre  stands  a long  dining-table. 
At  one  end  is  the  office,  at  the  other  are  billiard-tables. 
On  one  side  are  sofas,  chairs,  and  lounges,  and  desks  upon 
which  are  spread  the  newspapers  of  India  and  England. 
In  one  corner  is  a bar,  with  fine-cut  decanters  upon  the 
shelves,  and  a pyramid  of  ale-bottles,  bearing  the  trade- 
mark of  “ Bass  & Co.”  Windows  and  doors  are  wide 
open  for  a free  circulation  of  air,  and  hundreds  of  spar- 
rows, seeking  shelter  from  the  blazing  sun,  chirp  and 
chatter  from  the  beams  above  us.  If  we  wish  to  dine  in 
private,  we  may  sit  down  at  one  of  the  small  tables  ranged 
along  the  walls,  and  the  Hindoo  waiters  will  surround  us 
with  movable  screens ; but  it  is  cooler  and  more  comfort- 
able at  the  public  table,  where  the  breezes,  perfumed  with 
jessamines,  honeysuckles,  and  magnolias,  blow  in  upon  us 
through  the  open  windows,  and  where  the  punka  is  sway- 
ing over  our  heads. 

The  punka  is  a frame  covered  with  cotton  cloth,  worked 
by  ropes,  and  serves  the  double  purpose  of  cooling  us 
while  eating  and  keeping  the  flies  from  the  food.  It  is 
common  in  private  houses,  counting-rooms,  and  churches, 
and  is  a necessity  in  a country  where  for  half  the  year 
the  temperature  in  dining-room  and  bedchamber  ranges 
from  85°  to  110°.  It  would  be  a comfort  in  America 
during  the  summer  months ; but  if  adopted,  and  if  the 
good  ladies  were  to  cease  rattling  their  palm-leaf  fans  in 
church,  would  not  the  congregation  drop  off  to  sleep,  pro- 
vided the  preacher  was  prosy  ? The  sleeping-apartments 
in  the  hotel  are  about  thirty  feet  square,  with  bath-rooms 
attached.  The  only  way  in  which  a person  can  cool  off 
is  by  bathing.  Morning  and  evening,  and  sometimes  at 

4 * f 


82 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


noon,  the  residents  resort  to  the  hath  to  bring  the  blood 
down  to  an  endurable  temperature. 

The  city  of  Bombay  is  the  largest  in  India.  The  cen- 
sus of  1864  gave  a population  of  816,000.  It  is  built  on 
a cluster  of  islands,  connected  with  one  another  and  with 
the  main-land  by  causeways  and  by  filling  up  the  shallows, 
so  that  now  it  forms  a long  peninsula.  The  harbor  is 
on  the  south  side,  is  capacious,  deep,  and  sheltered  from 
the  heavy  swells  that  roll  in  from  the  Arabian  Sea  dur- 
ing the  monsoons.  The  city  extends  over  a large  area. 
The  government  buildings  and  barracks  occupy  the  far- 
thest point  of  the  peninsula. 

Farther  up  the  city  is  the  European  business  section. 
It  is  called  the  “Fort,”  from  the  fact  that  it  was  once 
fortified,  but  the  walls  have  been  pulled  down,  and  com- 
merce now  has  peaceful  possession.  The  “ hub  ” of  Bom- 
bay is  “ Elphinstone  Circle,”  around  which  are  stately 
edifices,  — banks,  insurance  offices,  and  counting-houses. 
The  streets  are  wide,  macadamized,  and  kept  in  excel- 
lent order.  Bombay,  like  Boston,  has  its  “ Back  Bay.” 
Going  west  a short  distance  from  the  Circle,  we  come  to 
a large  tract  of  made-land,  — a trotting-park  and  pleas- 
ure-ground, filled  in  by  a company  which  was  formed 
several  years  ago,  when  there  was  a plethora  of  money, 
and  everybody  had  the  speculative  fever,  and  men,  like 
mackerel,  were  as  ready  to  bite  a bare  hook  as  one  well 
baited.  The  shares  of  the  company  were  sold  at  fabulous 
prices.  It  was  to  be  one  of  the  best  investments  the 
world  ever  heard  of.  Suddenly  there  was  a collapse,  and 
the  holders  discovered  that  it  was  another  South  Sea 
bubble.  But  the  opening  of  the  lines  of  railway  through 
the  country  has  raised  the  value  of  real  estate,  and  the 
Back  Bay  may  yet  be  covered  with  costly  buildings. 

A wide  parade-ground  separates  the  European  business 
section  from  the  Hindoo  and  Mohammedan  quarters. 


BOMBAY. 


83 


Entering  the  latter,  we  find  houses  of  brick  three  or 
four  stories  high,  with  steep  tiled  roofs,  — the  lower 
stories  used  for  shops  and  bazaars,  the  upper  rooms  swarm- 
ing with  women  .and  children.  A dense  crowd  is  in  the 
streets,  — a large  portion  on  foot.  Many  are  in  canvas- 
topped  buggies,  or  shigrams,  — covered  four-wheeled  car- 
riages, with  seats  for  four,  drawn  by  one  horse,  the  body 
of  the  carriage  hanging  low  between  the  wheels.  There 
are  private  coaches,  elegant  as  any  seen  in  Boston  or 
New  York ; omnibuses ; carts  drawn  by  oxen,  not  only 
for  the  conveyance  of  goods,  but  passengers  also. 

Would  that  the  farmers  of  New  England  could  see  how 
the  Hindoos  manage  their  oxen.  Think  of  a pair  of  lean, 
lank,  humpbacked  kine,  with  enormous  horns  sticking 
straight  up  into  the  air ; a straight  piece  of  round  wood 


AT  FULL  SPEED. 


84 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


six  inches  in  diameter  for  a yoke ; four  pins,  each  about 
ten  inches  long,  driven  into  it  to  keep  it  in  place  ; ropes 
instead  of  hows,  not  lashed  to  the  horns,  hut  tied  round 
the  necks ; a cord  in  the  nose  of  each  ox,  with  reins 
attached  ; a two-wheeled  cart  with  four  seats,  the  driver 
sitting  in  front  bareheaded,  bare-armed,  bare-footed,  bare- 
legged, lardy  dressed  in  every  respect,  — his  only  raiment 
being  a cloth  about  the  loins  ; several  Hindoo  passengers, 
with  no  more  clothing  than  himself ; the  oxen  upon  a trot 
or  canter,  the  dusky  Jehu  handling  the  reins  adroitly, 
turning  sharp  corners,  picking  his  way  through  the  crowd 
as  easily  and  quickly  as  the  hackmen  of  New  York  can 
thread  their  course  through  Broadway. 

Proceeding  farther  inland,  we  reach  the  suburbs,  where 
the  Europeans,  Parsees,  and  rich  native  merchants  reside, 
and  find  broad  avenues,  as  smooth  as  a sea-beach,  shaded 
by  tropical  trees  in  great  variety.  We  pass  stately  palaces 
surrounded  by  spacious  gardens  ; look  up  the  long  grav- 
elled walks,  and  behold  flowers  of  every  hue,  — exotics  of 
the  temperate  zone  mingled  with  the  luxuriant  vegetation 
of  the  tropics,  — oleanders,  magnolias,  laburnums,  acacias, 
oranges,  lemons,  honeysuckle,  verbenas,  roses,  azalias,  pe- 
tunias, tiger-lilies,  — the  entire  flbra  of  our  green-houses 
blooming  in  the  open  air ; vines  and  creepers,  clematis 
and  jessamine  climbing  the  Avails,  and  overrunning  arbors  ; 
trees  Avholly  unlike  those  we  are  accustomed  to  see ; no 
elms,  no  maples  or  giant  oaks,  but  the  tall  and  slender 
palm,  the  palmyra  and  cocoanut,  with  their  green  plumes 
waving  in  the  breeze ; the  India-rubber-tree,  the  teak, 
the  fig,  and  mango ; the  banyan,  a grove  in  itself,  sending 
new  trunks  from  its  limbs  down  into  the  generous  earth, 
and  spreading  its  branches  far  and  wide,  thickly  throwing 
out  its  leaves  and  making  a delightful  shade. 

The  Parsee  does  his  best  to  make  his  earthly  home  a 
paradise.  His  palace  is  large  and  lofty,  with  Avide  veran- 


BOMBAY. 


85 


das  and  passage-ways  running  in  all  directions,  so  that, 
let  the  breeze  come  from  the  sea  or  the  mountains,  from 
the  north  or  the  south,  it  may  sweep  through  his  halls. 

The  Parsees  are  the  Yankees  of  the  East,  — the  busi- 
ness men  who  have  the  knack  of  making  money.  They 
surpass  the  English  in  the  elegance  of  their  residences. 
Beyond  the  palaces  and  villas  we  come  to  the  plains, 
extending  northward  and  eastward,  hounded  in  the  dim 
distance  by  mountains. 

In  approaching  the  city  from  the  sea,  or  looking  down 
upon  it  from  the  hotel,  we  see  a long  reach  of  tiled  roofs, 
wide  streets,  open  lots,  patches  of  green  foliage,  with  but 
few  objects  to  attract  special  attention. 

Taking  a walk  before  the  sun  is  up,  we  behold  queer 
scenes  in  the  streets.  The  people  are  just  rising,  some 
from  bamboo  cots,  but  hundreds  of  them  from  the  ground 
in  front  of  their  shops  and  houses,  where  they  have  slept 
through  the  night.  Turning  a corner  suddenly,  we  fall 
headlong  over  a young  man,  who  springs  to  his  feet, 
angry  at  being  thus  unceremoniously  disturbed ; but  an 
apology,  given  in  pantomime,  restores  his  good  nature, 
and  we  laugh  together  over  the  incident. 

The  Hindoo  religion  has  one  excellent  feature,  in  that 
it  requires  cleanliness.  The  climate  also  demands  it ; and 
not  only  in  the  morning,  but  several  times  during  the 
day,  the  natives  cool  their  blood  and  keep  the  pores  of 
the  body  open  by  ablutions.  It  is  an  entertaining  spec- 
tacle to  look  down  the  street  and  see  the  general  washing 
up.  One  man  pours  water  by  the  bucketful  over  his 
neighbor,  while  another  friend  rubs  and  scrubs  with 
brush  or  broom,  each  in  turn  taking  a douche.  Mothers 
are  washing  their  babies  in  large  earthen  jars,  as  if  en- 
gaged in  putting  down  pickled  lobsters  or  desiccated 
meats,  the  little  imps  squirming  and  kicking  up  their 
heels  in  vain  remonstrance. 


86 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


WASHING  UP. 

The  children,  like  those  in  many  American  homes,  are 
np  bright  and  early,  making  mud-pies.  They  are  not 
dressed  quite  well  enough  to  make  their  appearance  at  an 
American  Sunday  school.  In  a country  where  the  father 
and  mother  make  a small  piece  of  cloth  serve  for  full 
dress,  it  is  not  in  the  nature  of  things  that  their  offspring 
should  appear  in  coat,  vest,  and  pants,  or  with  crinoline 
and  trails  like  those  with  which  some  ladies  sweep  the 
streets  of  American  cities.  The  attire  of  the  maidens 
of  the  West  — especially  the  hall-room  dresses  — have 
longer  skirts,  and  are  perhaps  not  quite  so  low  in  the 
neck,  as  the  costumes  worn  by  their  sisters  in  India  ; but 
in  the  display  of  jewelry,  the  dark-featured  ladies  of  this 
country  can  outshine  them  all. 

Take  a look  at  this  black-haired  mother,  who  has 
decked  herself  with  a heavy  necklace  of  gold  chains  and 
English  sovereigns,  silver  armlets  above  each  elbow,  ten 


BOMBAY. 


87 


bracelets  upon  her  wrists,  so  many  rings  upon  her  fingers 
that  we  cannot  count  them,  twelve  rings  with  little  tink- 
ling silver  bells  dangling  from  her  ears,  rings  on  her  toes, 
and  a jewel  in  the  nose  ! 


JEWELS  AND  ORNAMENTS. 


Notice,  too,  how  lavishly  she  lias  adorned  the  darling  in 
her  arms,  — body,  thighs,  legs,  ankles,  toes,  fingers,  wrists, 
arms,  neck,  ears,  and  nose  ornamented  with  rings,  chains, 
charms,  jewels,  bracelets,  and  bangles  ! Quite  a display 
for  a girl  who  has  not  yet  celebrated  her  first  birthday 
anniversary ! 

The  question  is  solved  as  to  what  becomes  of  the  sil- 
ver. India  absorbs  it.  A love  for  ornaments  is  charac- 


88 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


teristic  of  men  as  well  as  of  women  in  India,  many  of 
them  wearing  bracelets  and  nose-rings. 

The  population  of  the  country  is  nearly  one  hundred 
and  eighty  millions,  and  it  may  be  said  that  each  indi- 
vidual has  upon  an  average  four  or  five  rings,  bracelets, 
or  charms,  usually  of  silver.  Doubtless  there  are  at  least 
ten  hundred  million  ornaments  worn  by  the  natives,  but 
no  estimate  can  be  made  of  their  value.  Through  all 
ages  India  has  swallowed  up  silver,  and  the  absorption  is 
as  great  to-day  as  ever.  The  coin  of  the  country  is 
mostly  silver.  The  native  does  not  like  a gold  currency. 
Attempts  have  been  made  to  introduce  it,  but  without 
success. 

As  the  crowd  thickens,  we  see  turbans  of  all  sizes, 
shapes,  and  colors.  A native  kindly  permits  us  to  ex- 
amine his  head-gear,  which  is  composed  of  a strip  of 
cloth  one  hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  length.  It  is  of 
scarlet,  and  curiously  and  wonderfully  made,  plaited  in 
the  centre  for  the  crown  of  the  head,  and  wound  round 
and  round,  fold  upon  fold,  making  a truck  three  inches 
thick  and  two  feet  in  diameter  ! The  numerous  red,  yellow, 
blue,  white,  green,  and  purple  turbans  in  motion  remind 
us  of  a bed  of  variegated  poppies,  moved  by  a passing 
breeze.  Conspicuous  in  the  crowd  are  the  native  police- 
men, in  blue  coats  and  pants,  wearing  yellow  turbans 
shaped  like  toadstools ; they  walk  with  dignified  step, 
conscious  of  their  authority,  carrying  a cat -o’ -nine-tails. 

We  notice  a crimson  spot  upon  a wall  surrounding  a 
garden,  as  if  some  one  had  there  upset  a pot  of  paint ; 
but  a friend  informs  us  that  there  is  a god  somewhere  in 
the  wall,  and  that  the  paint  has  been  smeared  there  as  an 
offering  to  the  deity. 

Turning  the  corner  of  a street,  we  come  upon  a toddy- 
seller,  who  has  a sign  in  English,  “ Licensed  to  keep  and 
sell  toddy”;  and  an  English  sailor,  in  a blue  jacket  and 


BOMBAY. 


89 


off  with  tinsel  and  silver  paper.  He  kneels  and  beats  a 
rat-a-tat-tat  upon  a drum,  hows  before  the  image,  jumps 
up  with  a laugh,  and  is  ready  to  serve  any  thirsty  customer. 

He  takes  his  pay  in  a currency  sucli  as  we  have  not 
heretofore  seen,  — rupees,  annas,  and  pice.  A rupee  is 
about  equal  to  fifty  cents,  American  coinage.  One  anna  is 
equal  to  three  cents ; it  is  a copper  coin,  and  sixteen 
make  a rupee.  It  takes  twelve  pice  to  make  one  anna. 
In  the  interior,  cowries  or  sea-shells  are  used  by  the 
natives  for  currency.  Bank-notes  are  issued  by  the  In- 
dian government,  which  circulate  at  par  in  the  presi- 
dencies where  they  are  issued ; but  the  notes  of  Bombay 
are  at  a discount  in  Bengal,  while  those  of  that  presi- 
dency are  below  par  in  Bombay. 

On  one  of  the  islands  which  dot  the  harbor  are  the 
celebrated  caves  of  Elephanta,  excavated  from  the  solid 


straw  hat,  is  drinking  himself  gloriously  drunk.  The 
liquor-vender  has  a small  temple  and  god  all  to  himself, 
— a box  about  the  size  of  a little  girl’s  doll-house,  — set 


TODDY  AND  DEVOTION. 


90 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


rock.  Not  only  here,  but  in  many  places  throughout 
Western  India,  similar  temples  are  found.  It  is  supposed 
that  they  were  cut  by  the  Buddhists,  when  that  religion 
was  in  the  ascendant.  No  temples  erected  by  the  Bud- 
dhists are  now  in  existence  ; they  have  been  destroyed,  or 
have  crumbled  during  the  centuries  which  have  passed 
since  the  sect  has  died  out  in  India.  But  those  of  Ele- 
phanta  are  excavated  in  the  volcanic  rock,  and  can  only 
perish  when  the  rock  itself  shall  fall.  The  temples  are 
entered  by  magnificent  doorways,  cut  in  the  face  of  the 
precipice.  The  approach  is  by  a series  of  broad  stone 
steps.  Two  rudely  sculptured  lions  guard  the  entrance- 
way, like  those  which  showed  their  teeth  at  the  Christian 
pilgrims  who  approached  the  palace  Beautiful,  as  set 
forth  in  Bunyan’s  allegory.  There  are  halls,  passages, 
courts,  some  admitting  the  sun,  others  dark  and  gloomy 
till  lighted  by  torches.  In  the  largest  hall  are  colossal 
images,  twenty  feet  high,  representing  Brahma  the  crea- 
tor, Vishnu  the  preserver,  and  Shiva  the  destroyer.  In 
the  dark  recesses  are  minor  deities.  Here,  in  ancient 
times,  multitudes  of  worshippers  came,  but  now  the  halls 
are  deserted,  and  the  immense  excavation  only  remains  as 
a silent  witness  of  the  civilization  and  religion  of  the  by- 
gone  centuries. 

The  population  of  Bombay,  as  we  see  from  the  crowd 
in  the  streets,  is  very  dense.  According  to  the  census  of 
1864,  it  is  divided  as  follows  : — 


Hindoos 

585,968 

Mohammedans 

. 145,880 

Parsees 

49,201 

Europeans 

8,415 

Jews  ..... 

2,872 

Other  races 

24,226 

Total  . 


816,562 


BOMBAY. 


91 


The  census  gave  about  twenty-one  persons  to  each 
house  throughout  the  city.  The  natives  have  few  com- 
forts. They  herd  together  like  sheep,  each  one  lying- 
down  upon  the  floor,  without  mattress  or  comforter.  A 
blanket  is  all  the  covering  needed  during  the  coldest 
winter  nights. 

The  Parsees  and  Europeans  transact  nearly  all  the  mer- 
cantile business,  although  numerically  they  constitute  but 
a small  portion  of  the  community.  Before  the  commercial 
disasters  of  1865-66,  the  Parsees  were  the  great  bankers 
of  the  East,  with  unlimited  credit  at  London.  They 
gained  their  high  standing  by  enterprise  and  integrity. 
They  have  no  caste  prejudices,  and  so  are  able  to  mingle 
freely  with  all  classes,  which  the  Hindoos  cannot  do. 
They  are  courteous  and  refined,  and  their  culture  and 
breeding  admits  them  freely  to  the  drawing-rooms  of 
Europeans,  not  only  at  Bombay,  but  in  London. 

They  are  the  last  of  an  ancient  race,  and  followers  in 
an  old  religion.  Their  ancestors  came  from  Persia,  prob- 
ably at  the  time  India  was  conquered  by  Darius  Hystapes, 
512  B.  C.,  — that  monarch  whose  kingdom  is  spoken  of  in 
the  Book  of  Esther  as  extending  from  India  to  Ethiopia. 
Zoroaster,  the  founder  of  the  sect,  was  a fire-worshipper. 
We  may  think  of  him  as  contemporaneous  with  the 
Prophets  Ezra  and  Malachi,  and  as  promulgating  his 
doctrines  about  the  time  that  Cincinnatus  was  called  to 
leave  his  plough  and  undertake  the  dictatorship  at  Borne. 

The  Parsees  are  without  a country  now.  They  are  not 
native  to  the  soil,  and  have  nothing  in  common  with  the 
Hindoos.  They  have  not  suffered  persecution  as  have  the 
J ews,  but,  like  them,  they  are  wanderers  upon  the  earth, 
and  exceedingly  sharp  at  a bargain.  Besides  being  wor- 
shippers of  fire,  they  are  different  from  all  other  people  in 
regard  to  their  disposition  of  the  dead. 

Going  out  of  the  city  a little  distance,  and  ascending 


92 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


the  gentle  slope  leading  by  a winding  way  to  Malabar 
Hill,  we  come  to  three  Martello  towers,  forty  or  fifty  feet 
high,  and  thirty  or  more  in  diameter,  built  of  stone.  At 
first  sight  we  might  take  them  to  he  fortifications,  erected 
to  protect  the  city  from  invasion  on  its  landward  side. 
But  there  are  no  embrasures  for  cannon  or  loop-holes  for 
musketry.  They  are  “towers  of  silence,”  where  the 
Parsees  lay  their  dead.  The  bodies  are  exposed  upon 
inclined  shelves,  and  when  the  flesh  is  consumed  the 
bones  drop  into  the  circular  area  of  the  interiors.  Flocks 
of  crows  and  vultures  circle  in  the  air,  or  cluster  in  the 
surrounding  tree-tops,  obtaining  them  daily  food  from 
these  houses  of  death. 

It  is  sickening  to  think  of  it ; not  that  there  can  be  any 
difference  to  the  departed  spirit,  whether  its  cast-off  tene- 
ment moulders  slowly  to  dust  or  is  devoured  by  vultures ; 
whether  burned  by  fire  or  blown  to  the  winds ; but  the 
earth  is  our  mother,  and  it  is  sweeter  to  lie  on  her  bosom 
amid  blooming  flowers  or  beneath  bending  elms  and  sigh- 
ing pines,  in  God’s  acre. 

“ God’s  acre ! yes,  that  blessed  word  imparts 

Comfort  to  those  who  in  the  grave  have  sown 
The  seed  that  they  had  garnered  in  their  hearts,  — 

Their  bread  of  life,  — alas  ! no  more  their  own.” 


BRITISH  INDIA. 


93 


CHAPTER  IX. 


BRITISH  INDIA. 


VERY  American  knows  that  John  Bull  has  a large 


farm  in  the  far  East,  hut  the  extent  of  the  domain 
can  only  he  comprehended  hy  studying  its  boundaries. 
Its  most  northern  point  is  the  lofty  mountain  range,  the 
largest  in  the  world,  which  lifts  its  snowy  peaks  above 
the  Yale  of  Cashmere.  Two  thousand  miles  away  is 
Cape  Comorin,  the  southern  extremity.  The  greatest 
width  is  about  sixteen  hundred  miles. 

The  Indian  Ocean  laves  fifteen  hundred,  miles  of  the 
western,  the  Bay  of  Bengal  twelve  hundred  of  its  eastern 
border.  India  is  as  large  as  all  the  States  lying  east  of 
the  Mississippi ! The  distance  from  New  Brunswick  to 
Texas  hardly  equals  its  length,  or  from  Boston  to  Omaha 
its  greatest  width. 

Of  mountains,  besides  the  Himalayas,  there  is  a range 
lying  on  the  western  coast,  a few  miles  from  the  sea, 
as  the  Andes  and  the  Sierra  Nevada  ranges  lie  along  the 
western  border  of  America. 

South  of  Bombay  is  the  Malabar  coast,  which  old  sea- 
captains  avoid  during  the  monsoon.  One  hundred  and 
fifty  miles  north  of  Bombay  is  the  Gulf  of  Cambay,  and 
two  hundred  miles  farther  the  Gulf  of  Cutch. 

The  rivers  Indore  and  Toptee,  which  empty  into  the 
Gulf  of  Cambay,  are  as  large  as  the  Connecticut.  North- 
ward of  these  is  the  Indus,  which  has  its  source  in 
Thibet,  in  regions  not  yet  fully  explored  by  Europeans. 
The  sacred  Ganges,  fed  by  the  snows  of  the  Himalayas, 


94 


OUB  NEW  WAY  BOUND  THE  WOBLD. 


gives  fertility  to  a valley  wliich,  for  thirty-five  hundred 
years,  has  teemed  with  human  life. 

The  Kristna  and  Godavery,  taking  their  rise  amid  the 
mountains  of  the  western  coast,  pour  their  floods  into  the 
Bay  of  Bengal,  nearly  one  thousand  miles  from  their 
source. 

In  this  vast  domain  there  is  every  variety  of  surface,  — 
plains,  hills,  deep  ravines,  verdant  meadows,  fields,  forests, 
clothed  with  tropical  vegetation  ; inaccessible  mountains, 
sandy  deserts,  and  barren  wastes. 

In  these  dominions  England  holds  sway  over  one  hun- 
dred and  eighty  millions  of  people,  according  to  the  latest 
census.  In  the  Bengal  Presidency  the  population  is  three 
hundred  and  eleven  to  the  square  mile ; in  the  northwest 
provinces,  four  hundred  and  thirty-eight,  — exceeding 
Belgium,  the  most  densely  populated  country  of  Europe, 
which  has  four  hundred  to  the  square  mile.  Oude,  with 
an  area  nearly  equal  to  Pennsylvania,  has  eight  millions. 

There  are  few  great  cities,  Bombay  being  the  largest, 
with  800,000  ; Madras,  720,000  ; Calcutta,  500,000  ; Luck- 
now, 300,000  ; Benares,  173,000  ; Agra,  142,000  ; but  the 
inhabitants  are  mainly  in  small  villages.  They  speak 
various  languages,  — 40,000,000  ' talking  the  Hindi ; 

30.000. 000,  the  Hindustani;  10,000,000,  the  Mahratti; 

12.000. 000,  the  Tamil  ; 14,000,000,  the  Telegu  ; and 

30.000. 000,  the  Bengali.  The  Tamil  and  Mahratti  are 
languages  of  the  South ; Bengali,  the  language  of  the 
East ; the  Hindi,  of  the  Central  Provinces ; and  the 
Hindustani,  the  language  of  Lucknow  and  Delhi,  and 
the  upper  valley  of  the  Ganges.  Some  of  these  have 
several  dialects,  so  diverse  that  the  natives  of  one 
province  cannot  converse  with  those  of  another. 

The  whole  country  is  under  a Governor-General,  or 
Viceroy,  who  is  appointed  and  removed  at  pleasure  by  the 
Queen  of  England.  It  has  four  great  political  divisions 


BRITISH  INDIA. 


95 


or  presidencies,  — Bombay  in  the  west,  Madras  in  the 
south,  Bengal  in  the  east,  Punjab  in  the  northwest ; 
also  provinces  and  territories,  — Oude  in  the  northeast ; 
the  Central  Provinces,  between  Bombay  and  Bengal ; and 
Burmah,  on  the  eastern  coast  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal. 

This  country,  containing  one  sixth  of  the  whole  human 
race,  is  held  in  subjection  by  seventy  thousand  Eng- 
lishmen ! The  development  of  British  power  in  the 
East  is  one  of  the  marvels  of  history. 

In  the  year  1591  some  merchants  of  London,  having  a 
fever  for  speculation  and  adventure,  fitted  out  three  ships, 
and  sent  them  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  to  trade 
with  India.  Only  one  of  them  reached  the  far-distant 
land,  but  the  success  of  the  one  determined  them  to  make 
a second  venture  on  a more  extended  scale.  A com- 
pany was  formed,  and  a charter  obtained,  in  the  year 
1600,  with  a capital  of  £ 72,000. 

The  first  trading-house  or  factory  was  established  at 
Surat,  north  of  Bombay,  in  1612,  which  was  the  only 
point  for  trade  till  1640,  when  Madras  was  founded.  No 
other  port  was  acquired  till  1662,  when  Catharine  of  Por- 
tugal brought  to  Charles  II.  Bombay  as  a small  item  in 
her  dowry. 

The  stormy  political  times  in  England  in  the  latter 
part  of  the  seventeenth  century  did  not  interfere  with 
Indian  traffic ; and  so  successful  was  the  company  that  its 
stock,  which  had  a par  value  of  one  hundred  pounds,  was 
worth  five  hundred  pounds  in  1683.  A few  years  later, 
in  1698,  Calcutta  was  purchased,  in  order  to  obtain  the 
vast  commerce  of  the  valley  of  the  Ganges.  After  one 
hundred  and  eight  years  of  trade,  the  company  received 
a new  charter. 

The  French  were  in  India  during  all  these  years,  and 
now  came  the  struggle  for  dominion.  Moguls  had  ruled 
in  the  North,  and  the  Mahrattas  in  the  ‘South,  but  the 


96 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Mogul  power  was  broken,  and  the  empire  was  divided 
into  provinces,  each  having  its  rajah.  Caste,  and  the 
strong  hands  of  the  Mohammedan  rulers,  had  degraded 
and  demoralized  the  people.  There  was  no  nationality, 
no  bond  of  union,  and  therefore  no  patriotism.  All  cir- 
cumstances were  favorable  for  the  advancement  of  the 
power  of  the  company. 

The  East  India  Company  was  a close  corporation, 
despotic,  powerful,  with  England  for  a backer ; but  the 
company  is  no  more,  the  Queen  is  sovereign,  and  Parlia- 
ment the  supreme  authority.  But  there  must  be  a great 
change  in  the  . manner  of  making  and  administering  law 
from  the  present  system,  before  England  will  reap  the 
full  benefit  of  her  East  India  possessions. 

The  government  now  is  lodged  in  the  person  of  the 
Governor-General  and  his  counsellors.  Neither  natives 
nor  English  residents  have  any  voice  in  making  or  admin- 
istering the  laws.  It  is  still  a close  corporation,  slaw, 
behind  the  times,  the  members  impressed  with  a sense 
of  their  importance  and  dignity.  Taxes  are  imposed 
tariffs  made  and  unmade,  laws  promulgated,  without 
much  attention  being  paid  to  the  wishes  or  wants  of  the 
natives. 

How  would  the  people  of  the  United  States  relish  it  if 
the  President  were  to  remove  the  whole  of  the  executive 
machinery  of  government,  on  the  1st  of  May,  to  some 
healthy  locality  among  the  Alleghanies,  — secretaries, 
heads  of  departments,  clerks,  printer,  and  all,  — staying 
there  till  October  to  enjoy  the  mountain  breezes,  at  a cost 
to  the  country  of  more  than  a million  dollars  ? Yet  Sir 
John  Lawrence,  the  Governor-General  of  India,  has  gone 
to  Imla,  more  than  one  thousand  miles  distant,  with  all 
the  government  officials. 

The  Governor-General  has  a salary  of  $ 10,400  a month, 
nearly  $ 125,000  per  annum,  — five  times  that  of  the 


BRITISH  INDIA.  • 


97 


President  of  the  United  States,  — besides  $ 50,000  for 
entertainment  of  guests,  and  also  an  allowance  for  ser- 
vants. His  six  councillors  have  each  $ 40,000  per  annum. 
The  Lieutenant-Governor  has  $ 50,000.  There  are  several 
secretaries  Avliich  have  each  $ 24,000. 

Then  come  the  Governors  of  the  Presidencies  and  Prov- 
inces,— Bengal,  Madras,  Bombay,  the  Punjab,  and  North- 
west Provinces,  — each  of  which  receive  $ 50,000  per 
annum.  The  Governor  of  the  Central  Provinces,  Oude 
and  Burmah,  each  receive  $ 25,000.  All  of  these  men 
belong  to  the  Tite  Barnacle  family,  and  subordinate  places 
are,  in  a great  measure,  filled  with  their  nephews  and 
cousins.  The  sum  of  nine  hundred  thousand  dollars  is 
paid  to  twenty-one  individuals  in  salaries. 

For  educational  purposes,  for  the  enlightenment  and 
elevation  of  one  hundred  and  eighty  millions,  the  amount 
paid  is  $ 3,370,000,  and  this  is  set  down  as  an  unwar- 
ranted expenditure  by  some  of  the  officials. 

The  total  receipts  of  the  government  are  nearly  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  million  dollars,  and  the  expenses  about 
the  same.  The  English  Church  in  India  is  maintained  at 
an  expense  of  $ 700,000  per  annum. 

By  far  the  most  important  article  yielding  revenue  is 
opium.  It  is  a government  monopoly.  The  poppies  from 
which  the  opium  is  manufactured  are  grown  in  the  valley 
of  the  Ganges,  near  Patna  and  Dinapore.  There  is  a sale 
of  the  drug  at  Calcutta  on  the  ninth  of  every  month, 
where  there  is  an  excitement  equal  to  that  of  the  New 
York  exchange  when  gold  is  on  a rise.  The  trade  is 
mainly  in  the  hands  of  native  merchants,  who  rush  into 
opium  speculation  recklessly.  Everything  about  the  drug 
seems  to  be  intoxicating.  The  sale  last  year  yielded 
a clear  revenue  of  thirty-five  million  dollars  to  the  gov- 
ernment, and  the  Minister  of  Finance,  Mr.  Massey,  with 
great  glee,  announces  in  his  budget  for  1869,  that  the 

5 G 


98 


OUR  NEW*  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


sales  will  yield  a profit  of  forty-one  million  seven  hun- 
dred and  fifty  thousand  dollars  ! 

Before  long  the  treaty  between  England  and  China  is 
to  be  revised,  and  the  opium  question  consequently  is 
under  discussion.  The  Chinese  government  and  some 
Europeans  in  that  country  are  opposed  to  a continuance 
of  its  sale.  On  the  other  hand,  one  of  the  leading  opium 
firms  in  China  has  addressed  a memorial  to  the  Gover- 
nor of  Hong  Kong,  setting  forth  the  benefits  arising  from 
the  use  of  the  drug.  It  declares  : “ Opium-eating  is  not 
a curse,  but  a comfort  and  benefit  to  the  hard-working 
Chinese.  As  well  say  that  malt  is  a curse  to  the  Eng- 
lish laborers,  or  tobacco  to  the  world  at  large.  Misuse  is 
one  thing,  use  another.  If  to  a few  the  opium-pipe  has 
proved  a snare,  to  many  scores  of  thousands  it  has  been 
productive  of  healthful  sustenation  and  enjoyment.” 

This  has  been  answered  by  those  who  have  had  an 
opportunity  of  witnessing  its  effects.  They  present  a re- 
volting picture  of  degraded,  restless,  weeping,  slobbering 
skeleton  figures,  tormented  by  terrible  visions. 

The  India  Daily  News,  in  an  article  upon  the  question, 
says  that  the  consumption  is  increasing  not  only  in 
China,  but  in  England ; and  its  Dse  will  become  more 
general  when  it  is  maintained  that  it  is  beneficial  to 
health,  and  to  be  ranked  with  beer  and  tobacco. 

The  Chinese  government  is  still  opposed  to  the  trade, 
but  powerless  to  prevent  it.  It  is  destroying  the  people, 
takes  away  forty  million  dollars  per  annum,  giving  in 
return  poverty,  degradation,  and  death.  But  having  the 
monopoly,  the  British  government  will  not  relinquish 
such  a princely  revenue  on  moral  considerations  just  yet. 


THE  RAILWAYS  OP  INDIA. 


99 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  RAILWAYS  OF  INDIA. 

P to  1853  locomotion  through  India  was  attended 


with  great  difficulties.  The  Ganges  and  the  Indus 
are  the  only  navigable  rivers,  and  these  during  the  dry 
season  can  only  be  ascended  by  small  sail  and  row  boats. 
The  government  had  opened  here  and  there  a highway 
connecting  interior  military  stations  with  Bombay,  Cal- 
cutta, and  Madras  ; but  the  empire,  containing  one  million 
four  hundred  thousand  square  miles,  had  few  carriage- 
roads.  Travellers  sometimes  made  their  way  from  point 
to  point  in  carts  drawn  by  oxen,  but  the  usual  convey- 
ance was  a palanquin,  borne  on  men’s  shoulders.  Some 
of  the  paths  were  tolerable  in  dry  weather,  but  during  the 
rainy  season  wholly  impassable. 

Such  were  the  facilities  for  travel  when  the  project  of 
constructing  railroads  was  agitated.  The  plan  was  op- 
posed by  many,  not  only  in  India,  but  in  England.  It 
was  asserted  that  the  natives  never  could  be  induced  to 
enter  a railway-car  on  account  of  their  religion,  which 
forbids  an  intermingling  of  castes.  The  Hindoos  be- 
longed to  a sluggish,  indolent  race.  Contact  with  Euro- 
peans for  a century  had  not  quickened  the  millions  of 
India,  and  it  was  doubtful  if  they  could  be  vitalized  by 
any  of  the  appliances  of  modern  civilization.  So  in- 
credulous were  the  public  of  obtaining  any  returns  for 
their  money,  that  with  difficulty  sufficient  funds  could  be 
obtained  for  the  opening  of  a short  experimental  line  at 
Calcutta,  and  another  at  Bombay. 

Contrary  to  expectation,  it  was  soon  discovered  that 


100 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


THE  RAILWAYS  OF  INDIA. 


101 


the  natives  were  eager  to  avail  themselves  of  this  new 
mode  of  travel.  The  success  of  the  experiment  was 
unmistakable,  and  measures  were  taken  to  develop  a 
grand  system  of  railways,  to  afford  more  direct  and 
speedy  communication  between  the  chief  cities  of  the 
seaboard  and  the  interior. 

The  work  was  undertaken  by  private  companies.  The 
government  aided  them,  making  over  the  land  for  a 
term  of  ninety-nine  years,  and  also  guaranteeing  five  per 
cent  interest  during  the  same  period  on  the  money 
spent  in  construction.  All  income  was  to  be  paid  into 
the  government  treasury.  After  meeting  the  working 
expenses,  the  remainder  was  to  be  devoted  to  repaying 
the  five-per-cent  interest  guaranteed  for  the  current 
year.  If  then  there  should  be  a surplus,  one  half  of 
it  was  to  be  divided  between  the  stockholders  and  the 
government,  — that  for  the  government  being  for  arrears 
of  interest  accumulated  while  the  road  was  under  con- 
struction. When  all  arrearages  were  paid,  the  companies 
were  to  receive  ten  per  cent;  but  should  the  income 
exceed  that  rate,  the  authorities  were  to  have  power 
to  lower  the  fares.  The  property  is  to  revert  to  the 
government  at  the  termination  of  ninety-nine  years. 
Either  company  might  surrender  its  franchise  after  three 
months’  operation,  and  the  government  must  take  the 
road  at  its  original  cost. 

Under  these  conditions  several  companies  were  organ- 
ized. Looking  first  at  the  lines  radiating  from  Bombay, 
we  see  one  running  directly  up  the  coast  to  the  three  im- 
portant cities  of  Surat,  Baroda,  and  Ahmedabad,  which 
lie  along  the  Gulf  of  Cambay.  The  line  is  completed  to 
the  last-named  city,  a distance  of  three  hundred  and 
twelve  miles,  and  probably  will  be  extended  to  Delhi, 
about  eight  hundred  miles  farther. 

The  Great  Indian  Peninsular  Railway  consists  of  a 


102 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


trunk  line  and  two  branches.  The  trunk  line  is  designed 
to  connect  Bombay  with  Allahabad,  in  the  valley  of  the 
Ganges ; one  branch,  Bombay  with  the  city  of  Nagpore, 
in  the  heart  of  India;  the  other,  Bombay  with  Madras, 
on  the  Coromandel  coast.  The  main  line,  seven  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  in  length,  will  be  completed  during  the 
present  year  of  1869.  The  branch  to  Nagpore,  a distance 
of  five  hundred  and  twenty  miles,  is  already  in  use.  It 
is  not  improbable  that  this  branch  may  eventually  be 
extended  across  the  peninsula  to  Calcutta,  and  become  a 
main  line.  Thirty-three  miles  out  from  Bombay  is  Calian 
junction,  from  which  the  Madras  branch  strikes  south- 
east to  Sholapore,  a distance  of  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  miles.  This  company  will  have  twelve  hundred  and 
sixty-six  miles  of  railway  when  the  several  lines  are 
finished. 

Looking  at  the  south  of  India,  we  see  a line  already 
constructed  from  Beypore  on  the  Malabar  or  western 
coast  to  Madras  on  the  eastern ; also  a line  running 
northwest  from  Madras  to  connect  with  the  road  coming 
down  from  Bombay.  The  lines  of  Southern  India  are 
under  the  control  of  the  Madras  Railway  Company, 
which  will  have  eight  hundred  and  twenty-five  miles 
when  completed.  The  distance  then  between  Madras 
and  Bombay  by  rail  will  be  about  nine  hundred  miles. 

The  accompanying  map  of  the  railway  system  thus 
far  developed  shows  that  Bombay  bids  fair  to  take  posi- 
tion in  the  front  rank  of  great  commercial  marts.  Al- 
ready the  mails  for  Calcutta,  and  for  every  portion  of 
India  except  the  Madras  Presidency,  are  landed  here ; 
and  when  the  last  rail  of  the  line  now  in  progress  is  laid, 
it  will  become  the  port  of  entry  and  departure  for  pas- 
sengers from  Europe  to  India.  It  will  then  be  easier  and 
quicker  to  reach  Madras  and  Calcutta  by  rail  than  by  the 
present  circuitous  route  by  way  of  Ceylon  and  the  Bay 
of  Bengal. 


THE  RAILWAYS  OF  INDIA. 


103 


Going  up  to  the  mouth  of  the  Indus  by  steamer  from 
Bombay,  we  may  land  at  Kurachee,  and  travel  by  rail  one 
hundred  and  five  miles  to  Hydrabad.  We  shall  find  the 
river  at  that  point  four  miles  wide,  up  which  we  may 
steam,  during  the  rainy  season,  nearly  a thousand  miles 
to  Moultan,  where  we  take  the  Punjab  Eailway,  running 
northeast  to  Lahore  two  hundred  and  fourteen  miles,  then 
turning  south  toward  Delhi.  It  will  soon  be  in  operation 
to  that  city,  three  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  piaking  a total 
of  five  hundred  and  sixty-six  miles  controlled  by  the 
Punjab  company. 

We  may  go  from  Delhi  by  rail  down  the  valley  of  the 
Ganges  in  a southeast  direction  one  thousand  and  seven- 
teen miles  to  Calcutta.  This  line  is  controlled  by  the 
East  Indian  Company,  which  has  a branch  running  south- 
west from  Allahabad  two  hundred  and  forty-three  miles 
to  Jubbulpore,  there  to  connect  with  the  main  line  of 
the  great  Peninsular  Ptailway  coming  up  from  Bombay. 
There  are  several  branches  in  the  Ganges  Valley,  which 
increase  the  total  number  of  miles  managed  by  this  com- 
pany to  fifteen  hundred.  It  is  one  of  the  great  railway 
companies  of  the  world,  — as  gigantic  and  powerful  as 
the  Pacific  or  any  other  of  the  important  trunk  lines  of 
the  American  continent. 

The  railway  system  of  India  embraces  about  five  thou- 
sand miles.  A uniform  gauge  was  adopted  at  the  outset  by 
the  government,  — that  of  five  feet  six  inches,  — a medium 
between  the  broad  and  narrow  gauges  of  England. 

The  construction  of  these  railways  has  been  beneficial 
not  only  to  India,  but  to  Great  Britain,  whence  all  the 
materials  used  in  their  construction  have  been  trans- 
ported, giving  a great  stimulus  to  British  industry,  and 
employing  a vast  amount  of  shipping.  Between  1853 
and  1867  more  than  three  and  a half  million  tons  weight 
of  railway  material  was  shipped  from  English  ports. 


104 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  grading  was  done  by  natives,  who  at  first  declined 
to  work  for  the  contractors,  fearing  that  they  would  be 
cheated  out  of  their  earnings.  To  inspire  confidence, 
payments  were  made  every  night,  and  this  soon  brought 
a multitude  of  laborers.  The  wages  were  about  ten  cents 
per  day,  — a small  sum,  but  the  Hindoo  at  manual  labor 
cannot  accomplish  more  than  one  third  as  much  as  a 
European,  and  the  cost  of  his  support  is  comparatively 
trifling. 

We  see  several  thousand  men  and  women  at  work 
upon  the  unfinished  lines.  They  fill  their  baskets  with 
earth,  raise  the  burden  to  the  top  of  the  head,  walk  in 
single  file  from  the  gravel-pit  to  the  line  of  the  road,  and 
dump  it  upon  the  embankment.  One  of  the  contractors 
distributed  several  thousand  wheelbarrows,  and  sent  word 
that  they  must  be  used.  A few  days  later  he  went  out 
and  found  all  hands  carrying  them  on  the  top  of  the 
head ! 


HEAD  WORK. 


The  incident  illustrates  the  tenacity  with  which  the 
masses  adhere  to  old  customs. 


THE  RAILWAYS  OF  INDIA. 


105 


There  were  great  difficulties  to  be  surmounted,  especially 
in  crossing  the  mountain  range  along  the  western  coast, 
called  the  Ghats,  where  eighteen  hundred  feet  of  elevation 
are  overcome  in  sixteen  miles,  — the  average  inclination 
being  one  in  forty-eight,  the  maximum  one  in  thirty- 
seven.  The  Thull  Ghat  and  the  Bhore  Ghat  inclines 
required  the  labor  of  forty  thousand  men  during  the  work- 
ing months  of  seven  years. 

When  the  mutiny  broke  out  all  work  was  suspended, 
and  for  nearly  two  years  little  was  accomplished  towards 
extending  railways.  On  the  1st  of  May,  1868,  about  four 
thousand  miles  had  been  completed,  and  one  thousand 
were  under  contract,  nearly  all  of  which  will  be  finished 
in  1870. 

The  cost  per  mile  is  about  £17,000  ($85,000).*  The 
total  amount  of  English  capital  already  invested  in  In- 
dian railways  is  not  less  than  three  hundred  and  fifty 
million  dollars.  The  five  thousand  miles  in  progress 
will  ultimately  cost  not  far  from  four  hundred  and  fifty 
millions. 

A new  line  of  railway,  the  Oude  and  Bohilcund,  six 
' hundred  and  thirty  miles  long,  has  recently  been  chartered, 
and  work  upon  it  will  be  commenced  the  present  year. 

The  road  leading  from  Bombay  to  the  valley  of  the 
Ganges,  though  opened  only  a portion  of  the  way,  has 
paid  five  per  cent  since  1866  ; that  completed  up  the 
valley  of  the  Ganges,  and  that  leading  from  Madras  across 
Southern  India,  have  likewise  earned  five  per  cent. 

The  chief  revenue  is  derived  from  third-class  passen- 
gers. It  was  early  discovered  that  the  natives  would  ride 
often  if  the  fares  were  put  at  a low  rate ; and  the  com- 
panies wisely  adopted  such  a tariff  as  would  develop 
travel. 

* Speech  of  Mr.  Massey,  late  Minister  of  Indian  Finance,  in  Parlia- 
ment, October  29,  1868.  See  London  Times. 

5* 


106 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


In  1867  there  were  thirteen  million  seven  hundred  and 
sixty-four  thousand  passengers,  and  aE  hut  about  six  hun- 
dred thousand  were  third-class.  It  is  five  hundred  and 
twenty  miles  from  Bombay  to  Nagpore,  and  the  fares  are 
as  follows : — 

First-class  . . . . . $ 25.00 

Second-class  .....  12.50 

Third-class  .....  5.50 

Fourth-class  . . . . . 3.50 

The  mail  train  has  first,  second,  and  third  class  cars, 
and  goes  through  in  seventeen  hours.  The  cooly  train 
has  cars  for  all  the  four  classes,  hut  is  thirty-three  hours 
on  the  way.  The  Hindoo  has  already  comprehended  the 
truism  that  time  is  money ; for,  notwithstanding  he  can 
save  a trifle  by  taking  fourth-class  passage,  he  chooses 
the  third  instead,  and  patronizes  the  mail-train  rather 
than  one  which  is  run  in  connection  with  freight-cars,  and 
is  nearly  twice  as  long  on  the  way. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  railroad  enterprise,  the 
Brahmans  petitioned  for  the  running  of  caste  cars.  They 
could  not  come  in  contact  with  men  of  lower  grade.  It 
would  defile  their  sacred  persons,  and  unfit  them  for  their  ’ 
high  destiny,  — absorption  into  Brahma  after  death.  But 
the  railroad  managers  had  an  eye  to  profits  on  their  invest- 
ment. They  could  not  put  on  cars  for  each  separate 
caste.  Such  a procedure  would  be  attended  with  great 
confusion  in  management,  and  increased  expense.  They 
therefore  adopted  the  European  system  of  class-cars,  and 
told  the  Brahmans  they  could  stay  at  home  if  they  could 
not  accommodate  themselves  to  established  rules. 

The  result  is  a complete  breaking  up  of  caste  on  the 
railroad.  Now  the  priest,  who  is  pure  enough  to  enter 
the  most  exalted  circle  of  the  Hindoo  heaven,  for  the 
sake  of  saving  a few  rupees,  can  sit  all  day  in  a locked 
carriage  on  a hard  bench,  between  two  outcast  Pariahs, 


THE  RAILWAYS  OF  INDIA. 


107 


the  vilest  of  the  vile,  for  whom  there  is  no  place  in  para- 
dise. The  Brahman  may  drop  off  to  sleep,  and  his  head 
rest  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  degraded  wretches,  yet  he 
is  not  defiled ! 

Under  Mohammedan  rule  idolatry  was  in  a great 
measure  suppressed;  but  when  the  English  came  into  power 
they  refrained  from  interference  with  religious  rites  and 
ceremouies,  and  the  Hindoos  became  very  zealous  for  a 
revival  of  their  decaying  faith.  Suttee  was  allowed,  and 
there  was  no  check  upon  infanticide.  Temples  which  had 
been  broken  down  were  repaired,  and  new  ones  constructed. 
The  wealthy  gave  liberally,  nor  did  the  poor  withhold 
their  contributions,  till  in  every  shady  grove,  and  by  every 
running  stream,  there  was  a temple  to  Krishna,  Yishnu, 
or  some  other  deity  of  the  Hindoo  pantheon.  It  is  stated 
that  at  the  present  time  there  are  not  less  than  thirty 
thousand  idol  temples  in  the  Bombay  Presidency  alone. 

But  a great  change  is  taking  place  among  the  people. 
Formerly  it  was  believed  that  the  gods  alone  conferred 
wealth,  honor,  and  distinction,  but  the  natives  begin  to 
see  that  steady  industry  brings  wealth  to  those  who  have 
no  faith  in  idols  as  well  as  to  the  most  devout  worshipper 
of  manufactured  deities.  Ten  years  ago  five  thousand 
images  of  the  idol  Doorga  were  sold  at  the  annual  festival 
held  on  the  banks  of  the  Ganges  in  honor  of  that  god ; 
but  since  the  opening  of  railroads  the  sale  has  almost 
wholly  ceased. 

The  locomotive,  like  a ploughshare  turning  the  sward 
of  the  prairies,  is  cutting  up  a faith  whose  roots  run  down 
deep  into  bygone  ages.  It  is  dragging  a mighty  train 
laden  with  goods  for  the  whole  human  race,  and  especially 
the  millions  of  this  land.  The  engine  does  not  turn  out 
for  obstructions  such  as  in  former  days  impeded  the  car 
of  progress  ; it  makes  mince-meat  of  bulls,  be  they  bovine, 
Brahmanical,  or  papal.  The  days  of  Brahma  are  num- 


108 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


bered,  and  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  regenerated 
India  will  clap  her  hands  for  joy  over  the  decision  of  those 
who  directed  that  there  should  be  no  distinction  of  caste 
in  railway  carriages. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

HISTORY,  PHILOSOPHY,  AND  RELIGION  OF  THE  HINDOOS. 

TO  arrive  at  a just  estimate  of  the  condition  of  the 
people  and  their  prospects,  it  is  necessary  to  take  a 
brief  review  of  their  history.  India  is  known  to  have 
been  inhabited  for  nearly  forty  centuries,  yet  many  of 
the  aboriginal  tribes  still  exist,  — the  Santhals,  Khoonds, 
Pariahs,  Malas,  Domes,  and  Koles.  It  is  from  the  last- 
named  tribe  that  we  have  our  modern  word  “ cooly,”  a 
laborer.  The  ethnological  differences  between  the  Hin- 
doos and  remnants  of  the  ancient  tribes  are  strongly 
marked,  as  are  their  habits  and  customs. 

Hindoos  are  .divided  into  castes,  while  the  aborigines 
have  no  such  distinction. 

Hindoo  widows  do  not  marry  ; but  those  of  the  native 
tribes  take  second  husbands,  usually  a younger  brother  of 
the  deceased,  following  the  custom  of  the  Jews  and 
Scythians. 

Hindoos  will  not  eat  beef ; but  the  aborigines  have  no 
religious  scruples  on  the  meat  question,  eating  all  they 
can  get. 

Hindoos  eat  only  what  is  prepared  by  one  of  their  own 
caste  ; while  the  Khoonds,  Santhals,  and  Pariahs  ask  no 
questions  about  the  cook,  but  eat  whenever  invited. 

The  Hindoo  religion  forbids  the  use  of  fermented  or 
distilled  liquors ; but  the  primitive  races  think  that  the 


HISTORY,  PHILOSOPHY,  AND  RELIGION  OF  THE  HINDOOS.  10? 

more  liquor  they  drink  the  higher  their  spiritual  con- 
dition ! 

The  Hindoos  have  a priesthood  of  Brahmans,  who 
are  greatly  venerated;  but  the  aborigines  respect  their 
priests  only  as  they  perform  wonders  in  medicine  or 
magic. 

The  Hindoos  dispose  of  their  dead  by  burning  ; but  the 
Santhals  and  other  remnants  of  the  original  tribes  lay 
theirs  in  graves,  with  bows,  arrows,  and  war-clubs. 

The  government  of  the  Hindoos,  from  their  earliest 
history,  has  been  municipal ; while  that  of  the  tribes  has 
always  been  patriarchal. 

The  Hindoos  have  their  courts  of  justice,  composed  of 
equals ; but  the  tribes  have  chiefs  who  decide  matters  in 
dispute. 

Three  thousand  years  ago  the  Hindoos  were  well  ad- 
vanced in  science,  art,  and  literature ; but  to  this  day 
the  aboriginals  have  made  no  advancement  towards  civili- 
zation. 

The  people  of  Southern  India  are  the  Tamils,  who  in 
form  and  feature  bear  a strong  resemblance  to  the  Tartars 
of  Central  Asia.  Their  language  resembles  that  spoken 
by  the  ancient  Scythians.  Their  ancestors  were  in  South- 
ern India  long  before  the  dawn  of  authentic  history, 
and  there  are  temples  now  standing  which  are  as  old 
as  the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  which,  from  their  massive- 
ness and  beauty,  attest  the  greatness  of  an  age  of  which 
there  are  no  'written  records. 

By  reference  to  the  map  on  p.  100,  it  will  be  seen  that  a 
railway  has  been  constructed  from  Beypore  on  the  west- 
ern to  Madras  on  the  eastern  coast.  South  of  that  line 
are  numerous  structures  of  wonderful  architecture,  di- 
verse from  that  of  the  Hindoos,  and  reared  by  the  old 
Turanians,  showing  that,  long  before  the  appearance  of 
the  Hindoos,  the  country  was  occupied  by  a people  far 
advanced  in  civilization. 


110 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Christian  nations  accept  the  Bible  account  of  the  rise 
and  progress  of  the  human  race  as  authentic  history ; so 
the  Hindoos  turn  to  their  sacred  books — the  Yedas  — 
for  a history  of  their  own  race.  The  Yedas  are  the 
“fountains  of  knowledge,”  and  consist  of  four  books. 
The  oldest  is  the  Big  Yeda,  which  contains  about  one 
thousand  hymns,  ranked  among  the  oldest  writings  in  the 
world.  No  definite  statements  are  given  as  to  the  early 
origin  and  history  of  the  Hindoo  nation,  but  from  passages 
in  the  hymns  it  is  evident  that,  about  the  time  the  chil- 
dren of  Israel  left  Egypt,  one  of  the  tribes  which  had  been 
dwelling  among  the  mountains  of  Persia  moved  southeast, 
crossed  the  mountains  which  lie  northwest  of  the  Indus, 
and  took  possession  of  the  fertile  valley  of  that  great  river. 
They  called  themselves  Aryans.  In  the  hymns,  which 
were  composed  by  their  poets  at  a later  period,  and 
were  handed  down  from  father  to  son  till  committed  to 
writing,  we  hear  them  sighing  on  those  heated  plains  for 
the  coolness  of  the  Northern  climes,  — for  the  frosts  and 
snows  and  life-giving  breezes  of  their  native  land.  They 
had  fair  complexions,  but  the  southern  sun  was  marring 
their  beauty.  In  the  summer  the  ground  was  parched, 
the  great  river  dwindling  to  a narrow  stream ; their  flocks 
and  herds  were  dying  for  want  of  water,  and  they  sent 
up  their  prayers  for  relief  to  their  god  of  rain. 

“ Sindlm,  renowned  bestower  of  wealth,  hear  us,  and 
bring  water  to  our  broad  fields.” 

One  thousand  years  later  the  poets  and  historians 
of  Greece  talked  of  the  Sindhics  of  the  far  East,  and  from 
them  we  have  our  modern  word  Hindoo. 

The  native  houses  which  we  see  in  the  country  to-day, 
sheltered  by  waving  palms,  are  types  of  those  which 
stood  on  these  wide  plains  twenty-five  centuries  ago.  The 
Aryans,  when  they  entered  the  valley  of  the  Indus,  lived 
in  tents,  but  they  found  there  a people  dwelling  in  sub- 
stantial houses. 


HISTORY,  PHILOSOPHY,  AND  RELIGION  OF  THE  HINDOOS.  Ill 

They  were  herdsmen  and  kept  cows,  horses,  camels 
and  humped  oxen.  Their  great  ambition  was  the  posses- 
sion of  cows.  The  Sanscrit  word  for  “ war,”  when  traced 
back  to  its  root,  signifies  “ a desire  for  cows.”  They 
lived  in  villages,  had  workers  in  iron,  copper,  and  gold. 
They  had  chariots  and  tame  elephants  in  war.  The  wo- 
men could  spin  and  weave,  and  were  termed  the  “ light 
of  the  dwelling.”  They  were  not  debarred  from  acquir- 
ing knowledge.  Society  was  not  divided  into  castes,  and 


the  Brahmans  were  but  one  of  several  orders  of  priests. 
Men  could  eat  together  without  defilement.  They  had 
thirty-three  gods,  who  are  thus  invoked  : — 

“ Gods  who  are  eleven  in  heaven,  eleven  in  earth,  and 
who  are  eleven  dwelling  in  glory  in  mid-air,  may  ye  be 
pleased  with  our  sacrifice  ! ” 

The  other  books  of  the  Yedas  were  composed  at  later 
periods,  one  of  which,  “ The  Institutes  of  Menu,”  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  written  some  five  or  six  centuries  be- 


112 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


fore  Christ,  or  about  the  time  of  Sennacherib,  Nebuchad- 
nezzar, and  Hezekiah  in  Biblical  history. 

By  another  reference  to  the  map,  a line  is  seen  run- 
ning northeast  from  Bombay,  crossing  the  Nerbudda  Paver. 
Menu  speaks  of  the  country  south  of  it  as  the  Dalcshan, 
or  Deccan,  and  describes  the  inhabitants  as  barbarians, 
living  in  forests,  and  speaking  an  unknown  language. 

Comparing  the  Vedas  with  the  Bible,  we  learn  that 
during  the  six  centuries  and  more  which  elapsed  from  the 
departure  of  the  children  of  Israel  from  Egypt  to  the  time 
when  Nebuchadnezzar  captured  Jerusalem,  and  carried 
the  people  to  Babylon,  the  Hindoos  had  only  grown  to  be 
a nation  occupying  the  northern  half  of  India.  It  was 
within  that  period  that  the  Brahmans  set  themselves  up 
as  a holy  priesthood,  and  through  them  caste  had  its  origin. 

There  are  four  principal  castes,  — Brahmans, or  priests; 
Chhatteris,  or  soldiers ; Vyshes,  a class  of  merchants  ; and 
Sudras,  including  petty  tradesmen,  clerks,  writers,  and  la- 
borers. Each  order  is  subdivided.  Every  trade  has  its 
caste ; carpenters,  blacksmiths,  goldsmiths,  barbers,  fish- 
ermen, shoemakers,  leather-dressers,  tailors,  and  all 
branches  of  industry.  The  tailor  is  superior  to  the 
leather-dresser ; the  carpenter  is  defiled  by  coming  in  con- 
tact with  the  man  who  keeps  cows.  The  Hindoo  clings 
to  caste  as  he  does  to  life.  There  is  no  intermarrying. 
A woman  who  is  born  among  the  weavers  may  love  a 
water-carrier  sufficiently  to  elope  with  him,  but  to  take  the 
marriage  vow  would  be  sacrilege  ; or  a high-caste  Brah- 
man may  be  enamored  by  the  beauty  of  the  swineherd’s 
daughter,  and  take  her  for  a mistress  ; that  would  not  be 
defilement,  but  he  would  lose  his  chance  of  heaven  were 
he  to  make  her  his  wife  ! 

These  distinctions  are  so  rigidly  adhered  to,  that  though 
a man  may  be  dying  for  want  of  a drink  of  water,  he 
will  not  take  it  from  a cup  used  by  one  of  a lower 


HISTORY,  PHILOSOPHY,  AND  RELIGION  OF  THE  HINDOOS.  113 

order.  As  a rule,  a Hindoo  of  one  caste  will  not  help  one 
of  another,  though  the  timely  aid  might  save  life.  It  is 
stronger  than  the  instincts  of  humanity.  It  is  mas- 
ter of  all  trades,  professions,  and  callings.  The  son  is  not 
at  liberty  to  depart  from  the  occupation  of  his  fathers. 
Nature  may  have  given  him  capabilities  of  becoming 
a Euclid  or  a Herodotus,  but  if  the  father  is  a driver  of 
donkeys,  such  must  be  the  calling  of  the  son.  It  is  the 
mightiest  task-master  of  the  ages ; body,  intellect,  soul, 
are  in  slavery,  and  under  the  Hindoo  system  there  is  no 
emancipation  from  it  for  time  or  eternity. 

How  the  Brahmans  obtained  their  power  is  not  re- 
corded ; but  inasmuch  as  they  were  the  learned  men 
of  ancient  times,  and  as  knowledge  is  power  and  ig- 
norance weakness,  it  is  not  wonderful  that  they  were 
able  to  exalt  themselves  into  a ruling  priesthood. 
There  was  a time  when  Borne  was  only  a bishopric,  but  a 
' few  centuries  of  ecclesiastical  assumption  and  arrogance, 
enabled  popes  to  put  their  feet  on  the  necks  of  kings. 
There  is  no  instinct  so  strong  as  that  of  religion  in  the 
human  race ; and  so  the  priesthood  of  Hindostan  were 
able,  through  the  credulity  and  ignorance  of  their  follow- 
ers, to  create  that  mighty  system  of  caste  which  is  without 
a parallel  in  human  history.  • 

Succeeding  the  poetical  period  of  the  Vedas  wTas  the 
philosophical  age.  which  began  nearly  six  hundred  years 
before  the  time  of  Christ.  While  Solon  was  forming  a 
constitutioh  for  his  country  at  Athens  the  Brahmans  -were 
indulging  in  philosophical  speculations,  and  reducing 
them  to  systems  which  to-day  are  accepted  by  myriads 
of  the  human  race.  One  might  as  well  try  to  penetrate 
the  densest  jungle  of  India  as  attempt  to  give  in  detail 
the  schools  of  Hindoo  philosophy.  The  diversity  is  as 
great  as  that  which  distinguishes  modern  theology.  An 
enumeration  of  the  names  is  sufficient  to  give  us  a head- 

6 H 


114 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ache.  There  is  the  Nyaya  school,  the  Vaisheiska,  the 
Sankhya,  the  Yoga,  the  Puva  Mimansa,  and  the  Vedanta. 
These  may  he  grouped  into  three  classes. 

The  first  speculates  upon  the  knowledge  that  comes 
to  us  through  the  five  senses.  The  second  reasons  on 
methods  of  inquiry,  logic,  and  justice,  — asserting  the 
atomic  theory  and  the  eternity  of  matter, — a system  which 
appears  at  the  present  day  under  the  name  of  realism. 
The  third  is  Pantheistic,  asserting  that  there  is  but  one 
real  existence  in  the  universe, — the  immortal,  self-existent 
Brahma,  who  is  the  soul  and  substance  of  all  matter. 
All  of  the  schools  believe  in  the  transmigration  of  souls. 
They  do  not  look  upon  it  as  a blessing,  but  an  evil,  — a 
condition  of  existence  to  be  avoided  if  possible. 

The  Sankhya  philosophy  teaches  that  all  disturbance 
of  the  soul  is  due  to  the  antagonism  between  matter  and 
spirit ; that  once  they  were  separate,  but  being  united  in 
this  life,  the  inevitable  result  is  pain,  sorrow,  disquietude  ; 
and  that  only  through  successive  transmigrations  after 
death  can  there  be  perfect  freedom. 

The  Yoga  philosophy  teaches  that  immunity  from  pain, 
sorrow,  and  remorse  can  only  be  obtained  by  the  concen- 
tration of  the  mind  in  intense  thought  on  nothing  ! DevoT 
tees  of  this  sect  are  to  be  seen  in  meditative  attitude,  tak- 
ing no  notice  of  things  around  them,  their  eyes  fixed  on 
vacuity,  their  thoughts  on  nothing,  expecting  thus  to 
arrive  at  perfect  bliss  ! Under  this  philosophy  the  idiot 
should  be  the  happiest  of  mortals. 

Brahmanism  has  its  dissenters  and  independents,  its 
Ultramontane  and  Cisalpine  parties.  Some  men  believe 
in  obtaining  merit  through  sacrifice,  others  by  pilgrimage, 
liook-swinging,  or  costly  offerings  to  the  gods.  It  teaches 
the  deification  of  heroes,  poets,  statesmen,  princes, — 
great  men,  — great  in  wickedness  as  well  as  power,  and 
that  there  are  gods  without  number. 


HISTORY,  PHILOSOPHY,  AND  RELIGION  OF  THE  HINDOOS.  115 

We  can  go  no  further.  Beyond  us  is  an  impene- 
trable thicket  of  speculation,  credulity,  ignorance,  fanati- 
cism, and  superstition.  Through  twenty-four  centuries 
the  philosophy  of  the  Brahmans  has  held  sway,  except 
during  the  period  when  Buddhism  was  triumphant ; and 
all  progress  in  search  of  truth  may  be  summed  up  in  one 
sentence,  “ The  world  by  wisdom  knew  not  God.” 

Nor  can  we  follow  the  changes  which  have  taken  place 
in  the  condition  of  the  people  under  their  rulers,  — Per- 
sians, Greeks,  native  rajahs,  Moguls,  and  Maharatta 
princes, — their  advancement  in  art  and  science,  and  their 
retrogradation  and  decay.  We  may  measure  the  turmoil 
and  commotion  of  India  by  that  of  Europe  during  the 
Middle  Ages.  Army  after  army  has  marched  over  these 
wide  plains.  War  has  succeeded  war.  Millions  have 
been  slaughtered,  and  millions  swept  away  by  famine. 
Once  it  was  a great  empire,  governed  by  one  man,  the 
great  Arungzebe,  hut  the  fabric  crumbled.  Once  the 
crescent  flag  waved  from  Cape  Comorin  to  Cashmere,  and 
the  religion  of  Mahomet  was  triumphant  over  Brahman- 
ism. But  the  Mohammedan  power  went  down.  Its  last 
dying  struggle  in  India  was  when  the  mutineers  of  the 
late  rebellion  shot  their  officers,  slaughtered  men,  women, 
and  children  indiscriminately,  expecting  that  by  an  exter- 
mination of  all  foreigners  there  would  he  an  end  of  Eng- 
lish  rule. 

But  the  hand  of  the  Briton  is  powerful,  and  India  is 
more  securely  fastened  to-day  to  the  British  throne  than 
ever  before.  Slowly  hut  surely  England  is  establishing 
here  a new  empire,  founded  on  Christian  civilization. 


116 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

THROUGH  THE  DECCAN. 

IT  is  a motley  crowd  which  we  see  at  the  railway  station 
in  Bombay,  where  we  take  our  seats  in  the  cars  for  a 
trip  through  the  Deccan.  Here  and  there  we  see  a liigh- 
caste  Brahman  holding  himself  aloof  as  much  as  possible 
from  the  great  herd  of  natives,  but  who,  inasmuch  as  he 
cannot  afford  a first  or  second  class  ticket,  is  compelled 
to  mix  with  the  crowd. 

Third-class  passengers  are  not  allowed  to  roam  at  will 
about  the  station,  but  are  kept  in  pens,  like  sheep,  till 
just  before  the  starting  of  the  train,  then  crammed  into 
cars  like  those  used  for  the  transportation  of  stock  on 
American  roads.  The  only  difference  between  the  con- 
veyance of  cattle  in  our  own  country  and  natives  in 
India  is  this : in  the  one  case  oxen  and  cows  are  put 
into  the  same  car,  while  in  the  other  there  is  a separa- 
tion of  the  sexes. 

Leaving  the  station  at  Bombay,  we  sweep  through  the 
suburbs,  past  the  delightful  gardens  of  the  Parsees,  wealthy 
merchants,  and  bankers.  In  one  the  Mohammedans  are 
keeping  the  feast  of  the  month,  the  jolliest  of  all  the 
year.  Whoever  dies  now  will  find  the  gates  of  heaven 
wide  open. 

It  is  the  hour  of  evening  twilight,  and  in  the  gather- 
ing darkness  we  behold  a crowd  of  revellers  beneath  the 
trees.  An  hour’s  ride  brings  us  to  the  Ghats,  or  hills.  We 
wind  through  valleys,  gradually  ascending,  leaving  the 
luxuriant  vegetation  of  the  sea-coast,  and  finding  instead 
stunted  shrubs,  and  ground  so  parched  that  it  crunches 


THROUGH  THE  DECCAN. 


117 


beneath  our  feet  as  we  step  from  the  car  for  a breath  of 
fresh  air  at  the  stations. 

Mountains  with  ragged  rocks  tower  above  us,  deep 
gorges  and  beds  of  dried-up  rivers  lie  below  us.  ISTassick, 
a town  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Ghats,  is 
on  the  verge  of  the 
great  plateau  that 
extends  across  the 
country  to  the  Bay 
of  Bengal,  which  is 
as  far  as  from  Chi- 
cago to  Boston.  The 
water  that  in  the 
rainy  season  falls 
in  this  town  reaches 
the  Bay  of  Bengal 
through  the  Goda- 
very  river. 

Whenever  the 
train  ' comes  to  a 
stopping-place,  we 
hear  the  Hindoos 
in  the  cars  merrily 
chattering.  At  ev- 
ery station  there 
are  some  to  leave, 
others  to  get  in.  The  company  have  watermen  at  all  the 
stations,  who  go  among  the  crowd  with  leather  bottles 
slung  to  their  backs.  When  a native  wishes  to  drink,  he 
sits  upon  his  heels,  claps  his  hands  to  his  mouth,  presses 
them  firmly  against  his  under  lip,  thus  making  a spout 
into  which  the  carrier  slowly  pours  a stream  of  water. 

We  breakfast  at  the  junction  of  the  Nagpore  branch 
with  the  main  line.  The  country  in  the  vicinity  is 


TAKING  A DRINK. 


118 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


generally  level.  Northward  we  behold  flat-topped  hills, 
rising  one  or  two  hundred  feet  above  the  plain.  The  last 
year’s  cotton  crop  has  been  gathered  from  the  neigh- 
boring fields,  and  the  snowy  product  is  piled  in  unpressed 
bales  near  the  station.  Speculators  are  about,  — English 
buyers  from  Bombay,  — in  a great  stew  because  they  can- 
not get  it  rushed  down  at  once  to  the  seaboard,  while 
high  prices  prevail. 

We  speak  of  fields,  but  they  are  not  enclosed.  There 
are  no  fences.  Having  reached  Central  India,  we  confess 
that  our  preconceived  ideas  of  the  country  are  all  wrong. 
What  school-boy  has  not  received  the  impression  from 
geographies  that  it  is  a country  of  almost  pathless  forests, 
where  one  is  in  danger  of  being  trampled  to  death  by 
wild  elephants  or  devoured  by  tigers,  and  where  boa- 
constrictors,  winding  down  from  the  tree-tops,  are  ever 
on  the  watch  to  enfold  us  in  their  slimy  coils,  crush 
every  bone  in  the  body,  and  swallow  us  at  a mouthful ! 

We  find,  instead,  a plateau,  with  here  and  there  a grove, 
sometimes  a thicket,  and  once  in  a while  a patch  of  wood- 
land. On  the  mountains  there  are  forests.  But  a jungle 
is  not  always  a dark,  dense,  impenetrable  growth  of  vines, 
creepers,  shrubs,  bushes,  and  trees;  but  all  waste  land,  even 
that  which  in  the  United  States  is  called  pasture-land,  is 
classed  as  jungle. 

Central  India  is  very  much,  in  its  general  features,  like 
Illinois,  except  that  the  palm,  the  cocoanut,  bamboo,  and 
banyan  take  the  place  of  black-jack,  persimmon,  and  pa- 
paw.  There  is  the  same  scarcity  of  timber,  only  a few 
trees  dotting  the  landscape.  We  miss  the  well-swarded 
fields  of  the  West,  the  great  herds  of  cattle,  neat  farm- 
houses, and  wheat-stacks  looming  on  the  horizon,  — the 
signs  of  thrift  and  enterprise,  — and  behold  instead  a 
wide  plain,  huts  of  bamboo,  thatched  with  grass,  which 
a lighted  match  would  whiff  out  of  sight  in  two  minutes, 


THROUGH  THE  DECCAN. 


119 


a few  goats  and  cattle,  so  lean  that  they  cast  hut  thin 
shadows,  a sharpened  stick  for  a plough,  carts  of  the 
pattern  in  use  two  thousand  years  ago,  with  plank  trucks 
for  wheels,  and  a little  framework  body  of  bamboo  lashed 
together  by  cords. 

But  no  Western  lady  can  appear  in  such  gorgeous  cos- 
tume as  the  Hindoo  woman  before  us,  wearing  a robe  of 
crimson  silk  reaching  to  the  knees,  trimmed  with  yellow 
hands  across  the  shoulder,  a yellow  skirt  edged  around 
the  bottom  with  cloth  of  silver,  beneath  which  is  an 
under-skirt  of  purple  silk.  There  is  silver  enough  in  the 
broad  rings  and  bands  clasping  her  ankles  for  a set  of 
table-spoons,  to  say  nothing  of  the  display  on  her  arms, 
round  her  neck,  dangling  from  her  ears  and  nose,  and 
gleaming  on  her  fingers,  or  of  what  she  has  lavished 
upon  the  garmentless  child  toddling  by  her  side.  She 
sits  down  in  the  dirt  with  another  woman,  and  the  two 
examine  each  other’s  heads  for  — phrenological  develop- 
ments, of  course ! 


INTERESTING  DISCOVERY. 


120 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  mercury  is  105°  in  the  shade,  130°  in  the  sun, — 
weather  likely  to  last  through  the  month.  In  such  an 
atmosphere  the  woodwork  of  houses,  furniture,  carriages, 
and  everything  exposed  to  the  sun,  shrinks  marvellously. 
The  coachmen  and  carters  wind  the  spokes  of  their  wheels 
with  straw,  which  they  wet  from  time  to  time, — watering 
their  carriages  as  well  as  their  horses  ! Hats  large  enough 
in  the  morning  are  two  sizes  too  small  at  night,  and  had 
ours  not  been  soaked  with  water  before  leaving  the  train, 
we  should  have  been  compelled  to  ride  to  the  hotel  bare- 
headed. The  wind  which  sweeps  over  the  plain  is  like 
the  breath  of  the  sirocco.  It  burns,  blisters,  and  turns 
the  whitest  skin  to  bronze.  An  English  gentleman  here, 
who  has  been  exposed  to  the  sun  of  India  for  nine  years, 
has  lost  all  freshness  of  complexion ; the  usual  floridity 
of  countenance  has  disappeared,  and,  so  far  as  color  is 
concerned,  we  might  class  him  as  a lialf-blooded  Hindoo. 

It  is  impossible  for  one  who  has  not  been  in  India 
through  the  hot  season  to  comprehend  the  intensity  of 
the  heat,  the  mercury  during  the  day  registering  130°, 
and  100°  at  night.  The  scorching  air  is  like  a blast  from 
a furnace,  and  tries  the  endurance  of  Europeans  fearfully. 
Great  care  must  be  taken  to  avoid  sunstroke.  Cover- 
ings for  the  head  like  trays,  made  of  pith  or  cork,  or 
patterned  after  the  old  Eoman  helmets,  are  worn.  It 
is  dangerous  to  go  out  in  the  middle  of  the  day  un- 
less thus  protected.  Natives  as  well  as  Europeans  carry 
sun-umbrellas.  At  the  station,  where  we  stop  for  din- 
ner, thick  mats,  called  tatties,  are  hung  in  the  door- 
ways and  windows,  which,  being  kept  constantly  wdt, 
give  coolness  to  the  air  within,  where,  though  the  tem- 
perature is  98°,  it  is  cold  in  contrast  with  the  furnace 
heat  outside. 

Visitors  to  India  should  time  their  journey  so  as  to 
be  there  in  winter.  The  rainy  season  commences  at 


THROUGH  THE  DECCAN. 


121 


Bombay  about  the  9 th  of  June,  and  continues  till  the 
middle  of  October.  No  one  can  travel  with  comfort  dur- 
ing that  period,  and  little  business  is  accomplished.  But 
November,  December,  January,  February,  and  March  are 
charming  months.  The  air  is  clear  and  calm,  the  sky 
serene,  the  temperature  delightful.  The  lowest  range  of 
the  mercury  in  winter  is  about  52°,  but  in  the  months  of 
April  and  May,  the  hottest  of  the  year,  the  average  heat 
is  about  100°  in  the  shade. 


A NAGPORE  COACH. 


It  is  eleven  o’clock  in  the  evening  when  we  reach  Nag- 
pore,  one  of  the  chief  towns  in  Central  India,  the  pres- 
ent terminus  of  the  railway.  We  place  our  baggage  in 
the  hands  of  a native,  who  is  shouting,  “ Carriage  for  the 
Residency  Hotel.”  We  find  that  the  coach  is  a two- 
wheeled cart,  with  a canvas  top.  We  enter  at  the  tail; 
the  two  lean,  white  oxen  attached  to  the  vehicle  start 
off  upon  the  run  down  the  broad  street,  the  driver 
6 


122  OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 

whacking  their  sides  with  a bamboo,  jerking  the  ropes  in 
their  noses,  wringing  their  tails,  and  bringing  us  up  to 
the  hotel  in  grand  style. 

We  can  see  by  the  light  of  the  moon  that  the  building 
is  about  sixty  feet  square,  of  one  stoiy,  with  a pyramid  of 
thatch  for  the  roof,  and  a wide  veranda  in  front  and  on 
the  sides.  Several  tents  are  pitched  near  by  for  sleeping 
apartments,  to  one  of  which  we  are  assigned.  It  is  large, 
high,  with  three  thicknesses  of  canvas  upon  the  roof  to 
protect  us  from  the  sun.  We  lie  down  on  cane  cots,  for 
a mattress  would  only  add  to  the  heat,  and  find  refreshing 
sleep.  An  hour  before  daylight  we  hear  the  gurgling 
of  water,  and  looking  about  to  see  what  fountain  has  sud- 
denly begun  to  play,  discover  a Hindoo,  with  a leathern 
bottle  slung  to  his  shoulders,  pouring  water  into  an 
earthen  bath-tub. 


OUR  QUARTERS. 


“ Sahib,  your  bath  is  ready.”  Sahib  is  the  Hindoo 
word  for  “ master.”  A low-class  Hindoo  has  no  conception 


THROUGH  THE  DECCAN. 


123 


of  the  meaning  of  our  word  “ mister.”  Centuries  of  sub- 
jection to  superior  races  has  obliterated  the  instincts  of 
manhood,  and  he  only  understands  that  those  whom  he 
finds  above  him  are  his  masters. 

It  is  delightful  to  sit  in  the  doorway  of  our  tent  in  the 
cool  of  the  morning,  and  look  out  upon  the  landscape. 
The  tamarind  waves  its  green  leaves  above  us.  Yonder 
is  an  avenue  of  feathery  bamboos.  In  the  distance  rise 
long,  slender,  graceful  palms.  A huge  elephant,  flapping 
his  immense  ears,  and  moving  with  ungainly  gait,  appears 
in  view.  Sparrows  chatter  amid  the  shrubs.  Crows  hop 
past  our  door,  and  stalk  into  the  tent  with  all  the  famil- 
iarity of  the  bird  of  ill-omen  which  Poe  apostrophizes : — 

“ When  with  many  a flirt  and  flutter 
In  there  stepped  a stately  raven.” 

They  alight  upon  our  chairs,  cock  their  eyes,  and  caw  with 
hoarse  voice.  The  crickets  are  chirping.  The  music  of 
the  military  band  on  parade  swells  grandly  on  the  air, 
mingling  its  harmony  with  the  tones  of  the  church-bell 
tolling  the  hours.  Curiously  constructed  carts,  drawn 
by  oxen  on  the  gallop,  dash  down  the  street,  the  dusky 
drivers  wearing  red,  yellow,  green,  or  white  turbans. 
Women  in  gay  costume,  bearing  water-jars,  baskets,  and 
bundles  on  their  heads,  with  little  silver  bells  tinkling  at 
their  ankles,  gaze  at  us  as  they  walk  past  the  hotel ; while 
here  and  there  groups  of  ebony  imps,  without  jacket, 
trousers,  or  shirt,  roll  in  the  sand  and  kick  up  their  heels 
in  youthful  glee.  This  scene  is  so  unlike  anything  to 
which  our  eyes  have  been  accustomed,  that  we  wonder 
if  we  have  not  at  last  reached  the  land  of  Jack  and  his 
bean-stalk ! 


124 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  XIII 


RIDING  IN  A DAK. 


HERE  being  no  railway  communication  between 


Nagpore  and  Jubbulpore,  we  pass  over  tliis  part  of 
Central  India  in  a dak.  This  is  a four-wheeled  vehicle, 
not  unlike  a London  cab,  except  that  the  body  is  so 
arranged  that  passengers  can  lie  down  if  they  choose.  A 
line  of  these  carriages  has  been  established  between  the 
two  cities,  with  stations  for  change  of  horses  about  five 
miles  apart.  It  is  called  the  Deccan  Horse  Dak.  The 
distance^from  Nagpore  to  Jubbulpore  is  one  hundred  and 
sixty  miles,  and  the  advertised  time  for  the  journey 
thirty-six  hours  ; but  at  this  season  of  the  year  we  should 
be  baked,  grilled,  stewed,  fried,  melted,  or  dried  up, 
were  we  to  travel  by  day.  No  white  man  would  at- 
tempt it,  unless  compelled  by  necessity.  We  are  to 
ride  by  night,  and  lie  by  during  the  day  in  one  of  the 
company’s  bungalows.  These  are  buildings  of  stone 
with  rafters  of  bamboo,  thatched  with  straw,  containing 
four  or  six  rooms.  They  are  built  along  the  route  about 
twenty-five  miles  apart,  and  are  furnished  with  chairs, 
tables,  plates,  knives,  forks,  spoons,  wash-basins,  batli- 
ing-tubs,  towels,  and  cots.  The  keeper  can  supply  chick- 
ens, rice,  potatoes,  eggs,  coffee  and  tea,  milk,  and  cakes 
made  of  rice  flour,  called  chapiities.  At  one  or  two 
stations  beer,  wine,  and  liquors  may  be  obtained,  but 
unless  we  take  canned  meats  along  with  us  we  shall 
not  have  a great  variety  of  fare.  The  charges  for  what 
we  obtain  in  the  way  of  food  are  not  exorbitant,  and 
to  those  who  are  accustomed  to  “ eat  what  is  set  before 


ELDING  IN  A DAK. 


125 


them,  asking  no  questions,”  and  make  the  best  of  every- 
thing, a little  daking  in  India  will  not  be  unpleasant,  and 
will  furnish  incidents  of  travel  not  to  be  met  with  in  any 
other  quarter  of  the  globe. 

At  six  o’clock,  P.  M.,  the  sun  nearly  down,  all  hands  at 
the  Eesidency  Hotel  come  out  to  see  us  off.  It  is  an 
amusing  scene.  Our  dak  is  hung  on  elliptic  springs, — 
though  ,one  of  the  party  has  not,  by  the  sense  of  feeling, 
yet  discovered  that  they  ease  the  jolting  of  the  carriage. 
Its  windows  and  doors  are  open  for  the  free  circulation 


GETTING  UNDER  WAY. 


of  air,  and  enable  us  to  take  a view  of  the  country  as  we 
pass  along.  Our  luggage  is  on  the  top.  The  hubs  of 
the  wheels  are  wound  with  straw,  which  is  watered  the 
last  thing  before  starting,  for  everything  is  thirsty  in  this 
land.  On  each  side  of  the  dak  is  an  awning  of  thick 
cotton  duck,  which  we  can  have  up  or  down  at  pleasure. 
It  bears  the  words  “ Deccan  Horse  Dak.”  We  sit  with 
great  dignity  and  decorum,  the  observed  of  a score  of 


126 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


natives,  who  take  as  much  delight  in  seeing  a dak  off 
as  country  hoys  in  Yankee-land  enjoyed  in  seeing  the 
stage-coach  start  from  the  village  tavern  before  the  days 
of  railroads. 

We  look  at  the  horses,  somewhat  larger  than  mice, — 
one  placed  outside  the  shafts,  though  there  is  space 
enough  for  both  between  them.  Our  driver,  in  a dirty, 
pea-green  jacket,  white  turban,  three  or  four  yards  of  cot- 
ton cloth  round  his  loins,  a battered  post-horn  slung  over 
his  shoulder,  stout  whip  with  a short  handle  and  lash, 
mounts  the  box,  winds  a‘  blast,  long,  loud,  deep,  and 
chirrups  to  his  mice ; but  they  do  not  move.  The  admir- 
ing lookers-on  put  their  shoulders  to  the  wheels,  the  mice 
are  pushed  a few  steps,  and  once  getting  underway  start 
off  at  a trot.  We  roll  out  of  the  hotel  yard,  gain  the 
highway,  the  driver  lashing  his  animals  into  a run,  blow- 
ing his  horn,  and  screaming  to  everybody  to  get  out  of 
the  way.  “ Hy-yi ! Hy-yi  ! ” he  shouts,  driving  like  a 
madman,  the  dak  rattling*  and  reeling,  and  the  natives 
looking  on  with  wonder  and  admiration. 

Our  own  admiration  rises  with  the  occasion.  This  is 
romantic,  — riding  through  India,  the  land  of  Brahma 
and  Buddha,  in  such  glorious  style,  — • and  we  half  resolve 
to  parody  Saxe’s  “ Biding  on  a Bail  ” by  a poem  called 
“ Biding  in  a Dak.”  But  our  enthusiasm  meets  with  a 
sudden  chill.  A mile  of  such  breakneck  speed  and  we 
come  to  a stand-still.  A nut  has  dropped  from  a bolt,  and 
one  shaft  falls  upon  the  ground.  Jehu  dismounts,  looks 
at  it,  makes  a wry  face,  scratches  up  an  idea  from  his 
long  black  hair,  breaks  a twig  the  size  of  a pipe-stem 
from  a bush,  puts  it  into  the  bolt-hole,  and  ties  up  the 
shaft  with  a cord.  It  is  not  pleasant  to  think  of  going 
one  hundred  and  sixty  miles  with  such  a fix-up.  alk- 
ing  back  a few  rods,  we  find  the  missing  bolt.  Jehu  is 
delighted.  He  produces  a pair  of  nippers,  examines  the 


BIDING  IN  A DAK. 


127 


dak,  finds  a nut  which  he  thinks  may  he  spared,  wrenches 
it  from  its  holt,  transfers  it  to  the  shaft,  and,  having  thus 
repaired  damages,  puts  the  mice  into  a run  again,  and 
whirls  us  over  the  first  stage  with  but  little  loss  of  time. 

The  managers  of  the  dak  company  have  not  given 
much  attention  to  the  proper  matching  of  their  horses ; 
one  of  our  second  pair  is  tall  enough  for  a dragoon,  the 
other  hut  little  larger  than  a Shetland  pony. 

Ten  miles  bring  .us  to  a military  cantonment  in  the  vil- 
lage of  Kamptel,  — a charming  place,  with  wide  avenues, 
shaded  by  great  trees.  The  residences  of  the  officers  are 
surrounded  with  flowers  and  well-kept  lawns.  Just  be- 
fore reaching  the  place  we  pass  a church,  its  tower  and 
spire  standing  out  in  beauty  against  the  sky.  After 
having  been  a wanderer  for  so  many  months  where  there 
are  few  churches,  it  is  an  unexpected  but  exceedingly 
pleasant  sight.  Beyond  the  town  we  have  another  sen- 
sation. Jehu  gives  a long,  loud  blast,  dismounts,  takes 
his  horses  from  the  dak,  comes  to  the  window,  rattles 
off  some  lingo  which  we  do  not  understand,  and  dis- 
appears with  his  horses,  leaving  the  dak  in  the  middle 
of  the  road. 

There  are  times  when  the  best  thing  a man  can  do  is 
to  follow  the  philosophy  of  Mr.  Micawber,  and  wait  for 
something  to  turn  up.  One  thing  we  are  sure  of,  the  dak 
will  not  run  away.  In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  a 
native  with  a pair  of  diminutive  oxen  comes  up,  climbs 
to  the  top  of  the  dak,  takes  a beam  which  is  lashed  to  the 
iron  railing,  and  fastens  it  to  the  end  of  the  shafts.  While 
thus  occupied  his  oxen  go  off  to  pasture,  but  he  brings 
them  back,  lashes  their  horns  to  the  timber,  mounts  the 
box,  jerks  the  ropes  in  their  noses,  and  away  we  go  down 
a steep  hill,  through  a deep  excavation,  enveloped  in  dust 
and  gloom,  emerging  upon  the  bank  of  a river  among 
carts,  cattle,  donkeys,  and  dusky  crowds  of  men,  biv- 


128 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ouacked  for  the  night.  They  are  going  to  or  returning 
from  Nagpore  with  cotton. 

Gaining  the  opposite  hank,  onr  oxman,  with  his  cattle, 
departs,  leaving  us  as  before  in  the  middle  of  the  road ; 


A STEADY  TEAM. 

hut  after  a while  our  own  Jehu  returns  with  fresh  horses, 
that  is,  if  such  skeletons  with  hides  like  old  hair-trunks, 
bruised  and  battered,  can  be  called  fresh  in  any  sense. 
No  Hindoo  horse  starts  of  his  own  accord ; he  must  be 
pushed  a few  steps.  So  wTe  are  accompanied  by  three 
men,  who  put  their  shoidders  to  the  wheels,  pull  the  ani- 
mals by  the  ears,  strike  them  with  clubs,  punch  them  in 
the  sides,  rap  their  knees,  slip  a cord  around  their  fore 
legs  to  draw  them  along,  and  go  through  many  other 
equally  persuasive  performances.  Once  under  way,  the 
creatures  go  as  if  running  for  the  sweepstakes,  till  wet 
with  sweat  and  foam. 

So  through  the  night  we  ride  on  over  a road  as  smooth, 
hard,  and  well  built  as  any  turnpike  in  old  England.  It 


RIDING  IN  A DAK. 


129 


is  interesting  to  see  the  nondescript  vehicles,  — crazy 
concerns,  with  plank  trucks,  bamboo  frames,  and  not  a 
pin,  bolt,  or  scrap  of  iron  about  them,  the  pieces  of  the 
rickety  things  all  tied  together  with  ropes  and  strings. 
With  a knife  we  could  in  two  minutes  make  one  of  them 
as  complete  a ruin  as  Holmes’s  “ one-horse  shay.”  We 
pass  numerous  villages  of  bamboo  huts,  the  houses  a trifle 
larger  than  hencoops.  The  Mohammedan  portion  of  the 
community  have  fires  kindled  by  the  roadside,  around 
which  they  are  having  a grand  religious  hullabaloo,  — 
joining  hands,  dancing,  singing,  and  shouting,  keeping  up 
the  wake  till  daybreak. 


Sunrise  finds  us  at  Karyea,  one  of  the  bungalow  sta- 
tions, a small  place  fifty-five  miles  from  Nagpore,  at  the 
foot  of  one  of  the  southern  ranges  of  hills  which  run 
across  India  from  the  coast,  above  Bombay,  nearly  to  Cal- 
cutta. While  spending  the  day  here  an  Englishman 
comes  to  the  bungalow  who  has  been  in  the  country 
twenty  years  or  more,  now  having  charge  of  hands  em- 

6*  i 


DEAD  SET. 


130 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ployed  in  tlie  construction  of  a bridge  across  a river  near 
by.  He  has  been  in  close  contact  with  the  natives  in  the 
southeast,  west,  and  north,  can  speak  the  language  per- 
fectly, and  knows  the  habits  and  ways  of  the  people. 

Sitting  under  the  veranda,  he  narrates  the  story  of  his 
life.  He  was  at  Cawnpore  when  the  mutiny  broke  out. 
Saw  his  wife  and  two  children  cut  down  before  his  eyes, 
hacked  to  pieces  by  the  swords  of  the  fiends  ; was  him- 
self shot,  pitched  over  a wall,  and  left  for  dead. 

“ Ah  ! ” said  he,  “ it  was  terrible  to  see  my  poor  wife  cut 
to  pieces,  — literally  chopped  up,  and  my  two  children 
also.  It  upset  me.  I can’t  forget  it.  I was  getting 
along  well ; had  seventeen  thousand  rupees  laid  up,  but 
it  is  all  gone.  I don’t  care  for  money  now.  Life  is  a 
burden.” 

Though  there  is  a wild  gleam  in  his  eyes,  yet  he  has 
no  words  of  bitterness  to  utter  against  the  natives.  He 
goes  out  alone  by  night  into  the  woods,  and  thinks  over 
the  past,  — the  dear  old  times  before  that  tragedy,  which 
put  a blight  upon  his  life. 

“ The  natives,”  he  says,  “ are  very  kind  to  me.  I never 
struck  one  of  them.  I mean  to  use  them  well.  There 
are  men  in  this  village  here,”  he  points  to  the  collection 
of  bamboo  huts,  “who  Avould  give  their  hearts’  blood  for 
me.”  He  is  exceedingly  severe  upon  his  own  country- 
men for  their  treatment  of  the  natives.  “ There  is  a native 
here  who  has  taken  the  contract  from  government  to 
build  a bridge  for  their  new  road ; he  is  rolling  in  wealth, 
has  been  to  London,  and  was  educated  there.  He  has 
the  best  of  liquors,  keeps  a good  table,  has  ice  brought  all 
the  way  from  Boston,  is  very  hospitable,  gives  away  no 
end  of  money,  invites  Englishmen  to  dine  with  him,  and 
to  hunt  and  fish.  They  come  and  drink  his  liquors,  and 
then  when  he  meets  them  in  Calcutta  or  Bombay  they 
don’t  know  him  ! ” 


RIDING  IN  A DAK. 


131 


swears,  throws  a plate  or  a beer-bottle  at  the  servant, 
kicks  him  out  of  the  bungalow,  when  he  ought  to  be 
kicked  out  himself.  They  do  not  like  us  as  a nation  very 
well,  and  I do  not  wonder  at  it.” 

He  says  that  a great  change  has  taken  place  since  the 
introduction  of  railroads.  There  is  a general  desire  among 
the  natives  to  obtain  an  education,  and  especially  to  be 
able  to  speak  the  English  language.  He  thinks  that  it  is 
caste  rather  than  idolatry  which  hinders  progress  in  India. 
An  educated  native  usually  throws  aside  idols  and  becomes 
a free-thinker.  He  sees  little  in  the  conduct  of  those 
who  call  themselves  Christians  to  commend  Christianity. 


“ Young  officers,”  says  he,  “ who  buy  a commission  in 
the  army  come  out  here,  not  knowing  a word  of  the  lan- 
guage, and  think  they  can  lord  it  over  the  natives. 
They  call  for  this,  that,  and  the  other,  just  as  they  are  ac- 
customed to  do  at  home  ; the  things  can’t  be  had,  and, 
more  than  that,  the  native,  perhaps,  does  not  comprehend 
one  word  of  the  order.  The  Englishman  gets  mad,  raves. 


THE  MASTER  RACE. 


132 


OUR  NEW  WAY  BOUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  natives,  as  a body,  take  all  Europeans  to  be  Chris- 
tians, but  the  majority  of  Englishmen  whom  they  see  curse 
and  swear,  get  beastly  drunk,  and  do  many  things  re- 
pugnant to  Hindoo  notions  of  morality  and  religion.  This 
is  one  reason  why  missionaries  make  comparatively  few 
converts.  He  condemns  many  acts  of  British  rule  as 
uncalled  for,  unjust,  and  sometimes  cruel.  India  has 
been  looked  upon  as  a lemon  which  might  be  squeezed 
for  the  benefit  of  Englishmen,  but  a brighter  day  has 
dawned  upon  this  land ; the  East  India  Company  is  no 
more  ; a liberal  policy  has  been  inaugurated  ; great  public 
works  have  been  undertaken  which  will  be  of  incalculable 
benefit. 

“ The  American  war  has  been  the  main  cause  of  this 
sudden  advancement,”  he  says.  “ Alien  cotton  went  up 
in  price  everybody  began  to  plant ; but  it  cost  so  much  to 
get  it  to  the  seaboard,  that  the  people  in  the  interior 
could  n’t  afford  to  raise  it,  and  thus  came  the  demand  for 
roads.” 

Many  ryots  (farmers)  have  made  money  enough  since 
1861  to  become  land-owners ; they  have  emancipated 
themselves  from  the  money-lenders,  who  are  the  curse 
of  the  country.  Formerly  seventy-five  per  cent  was  the 
usual  price  paid  for  money  ! The  lender  did  not  expect 
to  get  back  the  principal,  but  he  managed  to  extort  the 
interest,  and  the  ryot  remained  always  poor. 

This  Englishman  has  done  a great  deal  of  hunting,  first 
and  last.  He  says  that  we  are  in  the  tiger  region.  Two 
years  ago  he  saw  a tiger  shot  from  the  window  of  the 
bungalow  where  we  are  sitting.  It  was  in  the  edge  of 
the  evening.  The  dogs  of  the  village  had  been  barking 
furiously  all  day  ; and  the  horses,  sniffing  the  air,  pricking 
up  their  ears,  just  at  night  took  to  their  heels  and  left 
the  place.  Dogs  and  horses  alike  have  a keen  scent  for 
tigers.  The  animal  came  up  to  the  bungalow,  stood 


RIDING  IN  A DAK. 


133 


within  ten  feet  of  it,  when  a native  from  the  window  put 
two  balls  through  his  body,  and  brought  him  down.  There 
is  a famous  old  tiger  now  at  large,  a “ man-eater,”  who 
has  carried  off  several  persons  ; for  once  having  had  a taste 
of  human  flesh,  he  prefers  it  to  any  other.  Five  hundred 
rupees  have  been  offered  for  this  ferocious  fellow,  and 
parties  are  getting  ready  to  hunt  him  down. 


A MAN-EATER. 


At  sunset  we  are  once  more  on  the  way,  winding 
slowly  over  the  hills,  where  about  two  thousand  natives, 
men  and  women,  are  building  a turnpike.  We  pass  two 
abodes  of  the  gods,  — one  in  a ledge,  the  other  in  a tree. 
The  worshippers  have  been  rubbing  red  paint  on  the 
rocks  and  trees.  This  is  the  work  of  the  Hindoos,  but 
the  Mohammedans,  equally  religious,  are  dancing  in  com- 
memoration of  the  death  of  Hassan. 

The  half-way  station  on  the  route  is  at  Seonee,  a large 
town,  the  centre  of  a great  traffic.  With  our  horses  upon 
the  run,  our  driver  blowing  his  trumpet  like  a trooper,  we 
rattle  down  a hill,  and  come  to  a halt  amid  a multitude 
of  carts  and  wagons,  nearly  all  loaded  with  cotton.  It  is 


134 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


a calm,  clear,  moonlight  night,  and  the  scene  around  us  is 
of  great  interest.  Numerous  fires  are  kindled,  around 
which  swarthy  Hindoos  are  seated.  Some  are  eating 
supper,  and  others  lying  down  to  sleep.  This  is  the 
grand  bivouac  ; hut  near  hy  are  the  town’s-people  keep- 
ing the  festival. 


Groups  of  women  are  crouched  around  tarboots,  — 
boxes  adorned  with  red,  yellow,  and  green  paper,  and 
silver  tinsel,  — before  which  a lamp  is  burning.  From 
every  quarter  of  the  town  wre  hear  the  rub-a-dub-dub 
of  drums  and  the  squeak  of  flageolets. 

We  have  an  hour’s  detention  for  the  greasing  of  dak- 
wdieels  ; but  when  the  time  expires  there  is  no  harness- 
ing of  horses,  or  indication  that  we  are  to  go  on.  We 
make  signs  and  motions  in  the  most  expressive  panto- 


MIDNIGHT  FESTIVAL. 


RIDING  IN  A DAK. 


135 


mime  to  those  around  us,  not  one  of  whom  can  speak 
English.  There  are  loud  words  among  themselves,  and 
evidently  a hitch  of  some  sort.  We  are  perplexed,  but, 
making  the  best  of  the  situation,  wander  for  a half-hour 
amid  the  crowd,  solitary  among  the  thousands.  But  now 
to  our  relief  and  satisfaction  an  Englishman,  who  is  on 
his  way  home,  making  all  haste  to  reach  Bombay  before 
the  sailing  of  the  steamer,  drives  up.  He  can  speak  the 
language  of  the  country,  and  informs  us,  after  inquiry, 
that  the  driver  whose  duty  it  is  to  take  us  on  will  not  go ; 
that  the  Moonshee,  the  man  in  charge  at  this  station,  is 
a forceless  fellow,  and  cannot  start  the  obstinate  driver, 
who  wants  to  stay  and  have  a good  time  during  the  fes- 
tival. 

“ The  only  way,”  he  adds,  “ to  get  along  with  the  ras- 
cals is  to  give  them  a good  stirring  up.” 


STIRRING  UP  A HINDOO. 


Having  coaxed  in  vain  by  pantomime,  we  conclude 
to  act  upon  the  suggestion.  We  find  the  Moonshee,  a 
thin-faced,  gray-headed  Hindoo,  cooking  his  rice  over  a 


136 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


fire  on  the  ground,  where  he  sits  in  a contented,  medita- 
tive attitude,  his  hands  clasping  his  knees,  looking  at  the 
flickering  light.  We  can  hardly  make  up  our  mind  to 
disturb  such  peace  and  contentment.  But  that  man  was 
a fool  who  went  out  and  sat  down  upon  the  hank  of  a 
great  river  and  waited  for  it  to  run  by  before  attempting 
to  cross.  The  contentment  of  a Hindoo  is  equally  with- 
out end  ; it  lasts  forever.  Necessity  in  such  a case  knows 
no  mercy.  We  spring  towards  him  like  a tiger,  shake 
our  fist  within  an  inch  of  his  nose,  and  shout,  “ Put  on 
the  horses  quick,  or  you  ’ll  catch  it ! ” 

He  leaps  like  a scared  antelope,  and  points  to  a black 
fellow  who  is  having  a jolly  time  with  half  a dozen  com- 
rades. He  is  the  intractable  rascal  who  had  blocked  our 
way.  Seizing  him  by  the  shoulder  we  set  him  spinning 
like  a top,  shake  our  fists,  and  scream  again  at  the  top  of 
our  voice.  The  effect  is  magical.  In  a twinkling  the 
horses  are  harnessed,  and  we  are  on  our  way,  laughing  at 
the  ludicrousness  of  the  whole  affair. 

We  drop  off  to  sleep,  hut  awake  after  awhile  to  find  the 
carriage  standing  in  the  middle  of  the  road,  without  any 
horses.  We  are  in  the  predicament  of  the  man  of  whom 
everybody  has  heard,  who  either  had  lost  two  horses  or 
found  a cart.  Horses  and  driver  are  none.  We  wait 

O 

patiently  for  further  developments.  An  hour  passes,  and 
then  the  driver  appears  with  a yoke  of  oxen,  and  gives 
us  to  understand  that  the  horses  balked,  and  that  he  has 
been  hack  to  the  station  for  another  team. 

We  are  under  way  once  more ; hut  soon  come  to  a 
.dead  stop,  for  one  of  the  wheels  is  just  ready  to  fly  from 
the  axle.  The  whole  concern  is  so  rickety  that  we  only 
escape  wreck  by  constant  watchfulness.  We  tie  one  part 
with  ropes,  and  tinker  another  with  a hammer  which 
keep?  flying  from  the  handle.  But  as  eternal  vigilance  is 
the  price  of  liberty,  so  is  it  of  security  in  travelling  by 


RIDING  IN  A DAK. 


137 


dak  in  India.  By  unceasing  care  and  frequent  hammer- 
ing we  at  length  reach  the  station,  thus  ending  our  second 
night’s  experience  late  in  the  forenoon,  when  we  should 
have  been  there  at  daybreak.  Fortunately  the  sky  is 
cloudy,  and  we  do  not  suffer  greatly  from  the  heat. 

An  opportunity  is  afforded  us  at  this  station  of  seeing 
our  dinner  prepared.  All  hands  — father,  mother,  and  a 
half-dozen  little  Hindoos  — gather  to  run  down  a chicken. 
It  is  an  exciting  chase,  — cockerels  and  hens  flying,  flut- 
tering, cackling ; escaping  tliis  way,  chased  that,  till  at 
last  one  is  captured. 

Two  women  seat  themselves  upon  the  ground,  with  a 
mill  between  them,  grinding  the  rice  for  our  cakes,  just  as 
eighteen  hundred  years  ago  the  women  of  Palestine  pre- 
pared their  food.  The  scene  calls  to  mind  the  words  of 
the  Saviour : “ Two  women  shall  be  grinding  at  the  mill.” 

A half-hour  later,  and  we  are  eating  stewed  chicken 
and  chaputies.  The  station  agent  sets  before  us  ghee , or 
clarified  butter,  but  we  prefer  sugar  on  our  cakes ; and 
though  there  is  not  a great  variety  upon  the  table,  hunger 
has  sharpened  our  appetites,  and  we  make  an  excellent 
meal. 

While  here  we  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the 
mail-carts  pass.  They  have  two  wheels,  and  are  drawn 
by  a span  of  horses  that  are  changed  every  five  miles. 
The  steamers  which  sail  from  Bombay  take  all  the  mail- 
matter  from  Northern  and  Central  India,  and  the  mails 
are  expressed  from  Calcutta  across  the  country.  .Each 
driver  carries  a post-horn,  which  he  blows  constantly  to 
warn  people  to  get  out  of  the  way.  He  goes  at  a break- 
neck speed,  up  hill  and  down,  the  horses  upon  the  rim. 
In  those  sections  of  the  country  which  are  infested  with 
tigers,  a native  runs  before  the  carts,  at  night,  bearing 
a torch  to  frighten  them  away. 

We  have  another  night’s  ride  before  us.  The  driver 


138 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


sets  himself  to  work  to  make  the  dak  last  till  we  can 
reach  the  repair  shop  at  the  next  station.  Although  the 
distance  is  only  fifteen  miles,  we  are  several  hours  on  the 
way,  fixing  the  wheel,  which  persists  in  working  from  the 
axle.  We  reach  the  station  at  midnight.  Am  extra  dak 
is  there;  hut  no  persuasion  can  induce  the  Moonsliee 
to  permit  an  exchange,  — we  must  wait  while  ours  is  re- 
paired. We  do  not  altogether  regret  it,  for  it  gives  us  a 
chance  to  see  native  industry.  Two  Hindoos  do  the  work, 
assisted  by  fifteen  others,  who  do  the  talking,  each  one 
showing  how  it  ought  to  be  done,  pointing  to  this,  that, 
and  the  other  thing.  We  watch  the  trumpery  repairs  with 
many  misgivings,  and  at  times  feel  like  thrusting  them  all 
aside  and  becoming  blacksmith  ourselves  for  the  moment. 
But  the  Sahib  would  lower  himself  in  their  estimation. 
It  will  not  do. 

The  moon  is  at  the  full,  pouring  its  rays  from  the  zenith 
straight  down  upon  us,  with  a power  which  is  almost  as 
unbearable  as  that  of  the  sun  at  midday.  There  is  no 
heat  in  its  rays,  but  they  have  great  effect  upon  the  brain. 
The  blood  rushes  to  the  head,  and  there  is  a sense  of 
fulness  and  pressure,  which,  although  not  attended  by 
acute  pain,  is  exceedingly  unpleasant.  We  find  it  neces- 
sary to  keep  our  umbrellas  spread  at  midnight  as  well  as 
at  midday.  It  is  dangerous  to  sleep  in  the  moonlight  in 
the  tropics.  In  this  country  we  can  see  new  beauty  in 
those  words  of  the  Psalmist,  expressive  of  God’s  care  for 
those  who  love  him : “ The  sun  shall  not  smite  thee  by 
day,  nor  the  moon  by  night.” 

At  one  o’clock  in  the  morning  we  start  upon  our  last 
stage  of  forty  miles,  dashing  down  a hill  with  our  horses 
on  a run,  through  a valley,  descending  another  hill, 
holding  up  just  in  season  to  escape  a smasli-up.  The 
wheel  is  all  but  off  the  axle,  and  the  repairs  have 
amounted  to  nothing.  The  driver  puts  a boy  on  one 


ELDING  IN  A DAK. 


139 


horse,  sends  him  back  to  the  station,  throws  himself  upon 
the  ground,  and  in  two  minutes  is  sound  asleep.  Another 
hour,  and  the  boy  comes  back  with  the  other  dak.  We 
are  transferred  to  it,  but  we  cannot  sleep.  We  are  too 
wide  awake ; the  atmosphere  is  close,  stifling,  hot,  and  al- 
most burning  to  our  vitals  as  we  inhale  it.  On  we  go, 
the  driver  making  up  for  lost  time  by  lashing  the  horses 
into  a gallop.  Now  we  have  oxen,  and  we  go  down  into 
the  valley  of  the  Nerbudda  Eiver,  enveloped  in  a cloud 
of  dust. 

It  is  daylight  when  we  reach  the  stream,  which,  run- 
ning westward  from  the  heart  of  India,  discharges  its 
waters  into  the  Gulf  of  Cambay.  It  divides  India  near- 
ly in  the  centre. 

South  of  it  is  the 
Deccan,  while  to 
the  north  is  Hin- 
dostan.  At  this 
place  it  is  a small 
stream  during  the 
dry  season,  but 
when  the  rain  com- 
mences it  will  swell 
to  a mighty  flood. 

Close  down  to 
the  water’s  edge, 
upon  the  solid 
rocks,  are  toinb- 
like  structures,  six 
or  eight  feet  square, 
three  or  four  in 
height,  with  ima- 
ges in  stone  not  in  ^ 
the  likeness  of  any- 
thing in  heaven  or 


PROTECTION  AGAINST  SUNSTROKE. 


140 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


earth ; above  them  a tripod  of  sticks,  supporting  porous 
earthen  dishes,  from  which  water  slowly  drips  upon  the 
idols. 

These  structures  are  built  by  wealthy  natives,  who  pay 
an  attendant  $ 2.50  a month  to  keep  the  bottles  filled  with 
water.  It  is  an  act  of  devotion  to  protect  the  gods  from 
sunstroke. 

Upon  the  opposite  bank,  beneath  palm-trees,  are  numer- 
ous temples,  — most  of  them  small,  whitewashed  struc- 
tures, at  a little  distance  presenting  by  their  whiteness 
a pleasing  contrast  to  the  greenness  of  the  foliage.  But 
now,  with  a tfresh  team,  we  enter  upon  our  last  stage,  — 
the  horses  upon  the  run,  the  driver  blowing  his  horn; 
everybody  making  haste  to  clear  the  track,  for  the  dak 
is  a privileged  vehicle,  and  has  the  right  of  way;  so 
raising  a tremendous  dust,  we  whirl  up  the  streets  of  Jub- 
bulpore,  and  reach  the  end  of  our  journey  and  of  our 
three  nights  of  curious  entertainment,  which  we  would 
not  have  missed,  but  do  not  care  to  enjoy  a second  time. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

IN  THE  HEART  OF  INDIA. 

JUBBULPORE  has  long  been  a military  station.  The 
grounds  occupied  by  the  troops  are  spacious,  regu- 
larly laid  out,  and  beautifully  shaded  by  grand  old  trees. 
The  officers’  quarters  are  elegantly  arranged.  The  prem- 
ises are  large,  and  set  off  with  every  variety  of  tropical 
trees,  shrubs,  plants,  and  flowers.  The  parade-ground 
is  an  immense  park,  level  as  a floor,  and  surrounded 
with  groves.  Nothing  can  be  more  delightful  than  to 


IN  THE  HEART  OF  INDIA. 


141 


stroll  down  the  long  avenues,  inhaling  the  fragrance  of 
the  flowers,  hearing  the  crows  cawing  above  us,  and 
myriads  of  sparrows  and  birds  of  the  tropics  chirp- 
ing and  singing  in  the  bamboo  thickets,  and  look  out 
upon  a landscape  dotted  with  palms,  waving  their  broad 
green  leaves.  The  band  attached  to  the  brigade  plays 
every  evening  in  the  public  garden,  and  at  that  hour  all 
the  Europeans  in  town  — officers  and  their  wives,  sons, 
and  daughters — gather  in  the  garden  for  promenade.  If 
Mr.  Emerson  were  to  visit  India,  he  might  perhaps  find 
material  enough  for  an  additional  chapter  on  “English 
traits.”  It  is  amusing  to  see  the  young  officers,  with 
enormous  side  whiskers,  dressed  in  white  jackets  and 
pants,  strutting  over  the  parade-ground,  clanking  their 
swords,  jingling  their  spurs,  manifesting  in  every  feature, 
in  every  glance  of  the  eye,  every  movement  of  the  body, 
the  intenseness  of  their  nationality.  A surly  watch-dog, 
pacing  to  and  fro  in  front  of  his  kennel,  with  ruffed 
mane,  and  conscious  that  he  is  master  upon  the  prem- 
ises, does  not  manifest  a greater  sense  of  his  importance 
than  do  these  young  gentlemen,  a few  months  out  from 
England.  None  of  the  ancient  Moguls  could  surpass 
them  in  playing  the  nabob.  Here  and  there  we  see  one 
who  has  been  long  in  the  service,  who  has  passed  the 
puppy  period,  and  become  a regidar  old  mastiff,  treat- 
ing all  who  approach  him,  be  they  Europeans  or  natives, 
respectfully. 

It  is  quite  natural  that  those  newly  arrived  should 
have  a high  estimate  of  their . importance.  Britons  have 
conquered  India ; why  should  not  they  feel  well  under 
the  circumstances  ? 

A large  party  of  men  are  at  work  upon  the  railroad, 
and  we  stroll  along  its  line  to  observe  this  great  iron 
highway.  The  embankments  are  of  necessity  much 
wider  than  those  upon  railroads  in  the  United  States. 


142 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  torrents  which  pour  from  the  clouds  during  the 
rainy  season  make  sad  havoc  with  earthworks,  unless 
they  are  well  constructed.  All  masonry  must  he  laid 
on  solid  foundations,  and  the  cement  must  be  of  a 
character  to  stand  the  extremes  of  dryness  and  moisture 
incident  to  the  climate.  Brick  is  mainly  used,  instead 
of  stone,  in  the  construction  of  culverts  and  small  bridges. 
The  work  is  done  in  the  most  thorough  manner,  and  the 
superstructure  of  this  and  other  roads  is  probably  supe- 
rior to  that  of  most  railways  in  our  own  country. 

Jubbulpore  being  an  important  station,  large  buildings 
have  been  erected  by  the  company.  The  passenger 
depot  is  spacious,  but  want  of  adaptation  is  manifest  in 
the  arrangement.  In  a country  where  the  sun  in  sum- 
mer burns  like  a red-hot  ball  in  the  heavens,  and  where 
for  three  months  in  the  year  the  rain  comes  down  un- 
ceasingly, common  sense  would  have  erected  some  sort 
of  shelter  over  the  platforms  of  the  station-houses  ; but 
such  protection  is  wholly  wanting.  The  station-houses 
are  brick  buildings  'with  solid  walls,  which  act  as  radiators 
to  the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  passengers  waiting  for  the 
starting  of  the  train  are  baked  in  the  oven-like  heat. 
It  is  so  at  all  the  stations  between  Jubbulpore  and 
Allahabad,  a distance  of  two  hundred  and  thirty  miles. 

When  the  road  is  completed  down  the  Nerbudda  to 
Bombay,  Jubbulpore  will  be  one  of  the  principal  sta- 
tions. It  is  in  a well- watered  and  productive  countiy. 
The  hills  bordering  the  valley  are  from  two  to  five  hun- 
dred feet  high,  with  natural  terraces  along  their  sides, 
showing  distinctly  the  ancient  water-marks  of  a time 
when  the  river  was  two  hundred  feet  above  its  present 
level.  As  we  move  northeast  we  gradually  leave  the 
fertile  soil,  gain  the  plateau  between  the  Nerbudda  and 
the  streams  which  empty  into  the  Ganges,  and  find  a 
sterile  region,  destitute  of  wood,  and  supporting  a sparse 
.population. 


IN  THE  HEART  OF  INDIA. 


143 


This  section  of  the  road  passes  through  a province  still 
held  by  one  of  the  native  rajahs.  He  has  nothing  par- 
ticular to  do,  hut  is  kept  in  place  by  the  government, 
because  descended  from  the  ancient  rulers.  His  royalty 
is  acknowledged  by  the  English  everywhere.  When  he 
travels  it  is  in  great  state.  He  is  saluted  by  the  garri- 
sons. He  was  loyal  during  the  mutiny,  and  is  receiving 
his  reward. 

It  is  amusing  to  see  the  monkeys  in  the  groves  scam- 
pering away  and  climbing  the  highest  trees  as  the  train 
dashes  past  them.  They  abound  in  this  section  of  the 
country,  and  play  the  mischief  with  the  garden-sauce 
and  field  products  of  the  natives.  They  steal  everything 
they  can  lay  their  paws  on.  They  are  as  adroit  in  their 
thieving  as  the  experts  of  the  human  species.  A fellow- 
passenger  informs  us  that  it  is  impossible  to  travel  in 
some  parts  of  India  without  a native  to  keep  constant 
watch  upon  everything.  Were  we  to  go  out  upon  the 
plains  and  pitch  a tent,  or  lie  down  to  sleep,  in  a few 
minutes  several  score  of  these  light-fingered,  fleet-footed 
gentry  would  come  to  pay  us  their  respects,  forming 
a ring  around  the  camp,  sitting  in  solemn  state,  gazing 
at  everything  going  on.  They  are  sober  gray-beards, 
harmless,  innocent,  sitting  at  respectful  distance,  as  silent 
and  grave  as  Indian  braves  around  a council-fire.  Grad- 
ually they  draw  nearer,  watching  to  see  who  is  asleep, 
who  awake.  If  the  coast  is  clear  they  make  a sudden 
spring,  seize  whatever  they  can,  and  are  off  in  a twinkling. 
They  are  a nuisance  to  cultivator  and  traveller. 

As  we  near  the  valley  of  the  Ganges  vegetation  is 
more  rank,  the  foliage  greener,  and  the  soil  more  fer- 
tile. We  pass  rice-fields,  where  men  and  women  are 
plashing  in  the  water,  weeding  the  young  grain.  ’ The 
country  is  more  densely  populated,  and  there  are  signs  of 
increasing  thrift  now  that  the  railroad  has  been  opened. 


144 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  full  moon  is  just  rising  in  the  east  as  we  come  in 
sight  of  the  Ganges,  — the  most  sacred  of  all  the  rivers 
of  the  world,  — looked  upon  by  more  than  one  hundred 
millions  of  the  human  race  as  the  river  of  life.  There 
are  some  remarkable  similarities  between  the  religious 
legends  of  the  Hindoos  and  the  writings  of  the  Bible. 
We  have  not  space  to  dwell  upon  them ; but  it  would  not 
be  a difficult  matter  to  show  from  the  ancient  literature 
of  the  Hindoos,  that  before  the  rise  of  Brahmanism  the 
people  worshipped  only  one  deity ; and  there  are  also 
evidences  to  show  that  India  has  had  an  acquaintance 
with  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ. 

“ It  is  generally  supposed,”  says  Marshman,  in  his  history 
of  this  country,  “ that  St.  Thomas  introduced  Christianity 
into  India,  where  he  obtained  many  converts.  The  Hin- 
doo legends  present  so  many  points  of  similarity  with 
the  facts  of  the  New  Testament  as  to  leave  little  doubt 
that  the  events  connected  with  the  life  and  death  of  the 
Saviour  of  mankind  were  widely  disseminated  through 
India,  and  embodied,  though  in  a distorted  form,  in  the 
writings  of  Hindoo  poets  and  sages.” 

Every  religion  has  more  or  less  of  the  poetic  element. 
It  abounds  in  the  Jewish,  also  in  the  Hindoo. 

“ Thou  visitest  the  earth  and  waterest  it ; thou  greatly 
enrichest  it  with  the  river  of  God,  which  is  full  of  water ; 
thou  preparest  them  corn  when  thou  hast  so  provided  it.” 
So  sang  the  Hebrew  poet ; were  we  to  read  the  passage 
to  a Hindoo,  he  would  believe  it  to  be  a description  of 
the  sacred  Ganges.  Or  read  to  him  from  the  Book  of  Reve- 
lation the  sublime  description  of  the  river  of  life,  and 
he  would  assure  us  that  it  had  reference  only  to  this 
mighty  stream,  rolling  its  everlasting  flood  onward  to  the 
sea,  ah  emblem  of  the  final  absorption  of  himself  into 
the  bosom  of  Brahma. 

A few  miles  south  of  Allahabad  is  the  junction  of  the 


IN  THE  HEART  OF  INDIA. 


145 


Jubbulpore  with  the  great  Peninsular  line  of  railway, 
running  from  Calcutta  to  Delhi.  The  train  winds  along 
the  bank  of  the  river  till  it  reaches  the  Jumna,  the  main 
branch  of  the  Ganges.  It  is  a stream  as  wide  as  the  Con- 
necticut at  Springfield,  spanned  by  a costly  iron  bridge, 
supported  by  piers  of  stone.  The  Jumna,  like  the  Mis- 
souri, is  subject  to  capricious  freaks,  — scooping  its  bed 
of  quicksand  full  of  holes,  cutting  off  a slice  of  land  on 
one  side,  carrying  it  over  to  the  other,  running  away  from 
towns,  and  doing  other  truant  acts.  The  engineers  went 
down  seventy  feet  to  find  firm  foundations  for  their  piers, 
without  reaching  solid  earth.  They  drove  piles,  sunk 
iron  shafts,  and  resorted  to  various  expedients,  and  have 
reared  a splendid  structure ; but  no  one  has  much  confi- 
dence in  its  permanency.  It  may  tumble  in  a night  dur- 
ing some  great  flood.  The  engineers  on  the  route  between 
J ubbulpore  and  Bombay  have  encountered  the  same  diffi- 
culty on  the  Nerbudda,  and  one  expensive  bridge  and  sev- 
eral small  ones  have  already  fallen. 

We  glide  into  the  station,  — a spacious  structure,  con- 
taining a large  restaurant  and  hotel ; but  the  landlord  has 
no  accommodations. 

“ A great  many  travelling  now,”  he  says.  “ Cotton 
speculators  are  rushing  like  mad  bulls  all  over  the  coun- 
try. People  have  been  telegraphing  for  rooms  all  day.” 

But  there  are  public  houses  in  the  town ; so  stepping 
into  a sliigram,  we  are  carried  through  cross-streets  and 
by-ways  to  the  “ Great  Eastern  Hotel.”  It  is  a large  square 
edifice,  with  a wide  veranda  supported  by  tall  Ionic  col- 
umns, and  presents  an  imposing  appearance. 

A half-dozen  Englishmen  are  sitting  at  table,  in  the 
centre  of  the  great  hall,  drinking  brandy  and  water.  A 
tall  Hindoo  shows  us  to  our  room,  the  door  of  which 
is  a red  curtain.  Partitions  separate  the  rooms,  but 
there  are  no  ceilings  overhead.  We  can  hear  much  of 
7 j 


146 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


wliat  is  going  on  in  the  other  apartments,  and  doubtless 
our  neighbors’  ears  are  as  sharp  as  ours,  and  they  can 
guess  whether  we  are  splashing  in  the  earthen  bath-tub 
or  breathing  hard  while  asleep. 


RAISING  THE  WIND. 


A punka  hangs  over  our  bed,  kept  in  motion  through 
the  night  by  two  bronzed  creatures  who  sit  beneath  our 
window,  each  taking  turns  at  a rope,  which  runs  through 
the  wall.  Fanned  by  the  machine,  inhaling  the  sweet 
fragrance  of  oleander,  magnolia,  and  laburnum,  we  lie 
down  to  rest,  but  not  to  slumber.  We  need  no  covering. 
The  thinnest  sheet  is  a burden.  The  couch  itself  could 
not  be  hotter  even  if  a warming-pan  filled  with  live  coals 
■were  passed  over  it.  We  toss  and  tumble,  wipe  off  the 
perspiration  oozing  from  every  pore,  and  it  is  not  till 
the  midnight  breeze  sweeps  up  the  valley  from  the  dis- 
tant sea  that  we  are  able  to  get  a vTink  of  sleep. 


SCENES  IN  ALLAHABAD. 


147 


CHAPTER  XY. 

SCENES  IN  ALLAHABAD. 

IT  is  charming  in  the  cool  of  the  morning  to  ride  down 
the  broad  shaded  avenues  of  this  chief  mercantile 
city  of  Central  India,  the  Ganges  laving  the  eastern  and 
the  Jumna  its  western  border.  It  occupies  a favored 
place  in  Hindoo  estimation.  The  Ganges  is  the  type  of 
the  eternal.  It  has  flowed  from  the  beginning  of  time, 
and  will  roll  on  forever.  The  Jumna  is  its  mightiest 
affluent,  and  its  wooded  hanks  are  hallowed  by  the  loves 
of  Krishna  and  Buddha,  who  once  dwelt  on  earth,  hut 
who  are  now  immortal. 

Beneath  the  luxuriant  palm-trees  of  the  Jumna,  in  bow- 
ers adorned  with  flowers  of  every  hue,  the  fabled  Naiads 
danced  and  sang,  long  before  their  voices  were  heard 
amid  the  Grecian  groves.  At  every  step  of  our  journey 
in  this  Oriental  land  we  meet  with  myths  which,  before 
the  Pelasgi  were  driven  from  Hellas,  were  rehearsed  amid 
these  scenes.  Like  the  odor  of  sweet  flowers  pervading 
parlor,  hall,  drawing-room,  and  chamber  of  a beautiful 
mansion  on  a gala-niglit,  so  these  legends  give  perfume 
to  literature,  science,  and  art.  The  flower  of  ancient 
Hindoo  poesy  gives  fragrance  to  every  page  of  history, 
i See  how  Indra  has  come  down  to  us.  To  him  one 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  of  the  hymns  of  the  Big 
Veda  are  addressed.  He  was  the  god  of  air,  — the  ether, 
ethereal.  He  was  the  Zeus  of  the  Greeks. 

“ Zeus,”  says  Max  Muller,  “ was  not  an  invention  of 
Homer.  Jupiter  was  not  borrowed  from  Greece.  Long 
before  the  Aryans  immigrated  into  Greece  and  Italy,  they 


148 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


worshipped  the  same  god  under  the  same  name.  Brah- 
mans, who  migrated  towards  the  south,  invoked  him  along 
the  river  of  the  Punjab.”  * 

Modern  astronomy  has  given  this  deity  a place  among 
the  spheres,  assigning  him  the  largest  planet  of  the 
solar  system.  The  numerous  asteroids  wheeling  above 
us  are,  some  of  them,  only  Grecian  incarnations  of  gods, 
worshipped  ages  before  the  schoolmaster  Cadmus,  as  Mr. 
Motley  calls  him,  carried  his  ■writing-book  from  the  Nile 
to  the  Peloponnesus. 

Thousands  of  years  ago  Pruyag,  the  Moon  god,  lived 
here  where  the  turbid  Ganges  and  the  sparkling  Jumna 
j’oin  their  waters,  and  the  place  is  holy.  Superstition 
has  made  it  a spot  where  human  beings  can  he  purified 
from  sin.  All  who  have  their  heads  shaved  at  this  junc- 
tion of  the  rivers  will  secure  one  million  years’  residence 
in  paradise  for  every  hair  which  falls  into  the  sacred 
waters  ! Always  there  are  pilgrims  to  he  shaved  ; but 
in  the  month  of  January,  when  the  moon  is  full,  a grand 
festival  commences  in  honor  of  the  god  who  once  con- 
descended to  live  here.  The  fair,  or  rnda,  lasts  about 
two  months ; acres  of  ground  are  covered  with  tents, 
and  the  place  is  crowded  with  devotees,  beggars,  and 
merchants.  It  is  therefore  the  greatest  barber’s  shop  in 
the  world,  and  those  who  handle  the  razor  do  a thriving 
business. 

Allahabad,  being  situated  on  the  tongue  of  land  formed 
by  the  two  streams,  has  always  been  a stronghold.  The 
fort  which  now  rears  its  massive  walls  near  the  town  was 
a Hindoo  fortress  thirty  centuries  ago.  The  Moguls,  when 
they  came  into  power,  strengthened  it.  When  the  late 
mutiny  broke  out  it  was  the  only  place,  except  Lucknow, 
in  Upper  India,  which  did  not  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
rebels.  “ Keep  Allahabad  safe,”  was  the  despatch  sent 


* Edinburgh  Review,  October,  1851. 


SCENES  IN  ALLAHABAD. 


149 


from  Calcutta  by  Sir  Henry  Laurence ; and  it  was  held 
by  the  heroic  little  band  against  all  assaults,  till  Neill 
came  up  the  river  with  reinforcements  and  raised  the 
siege. 

Inside  the  fort  stands  a pillar  forty-two  feet  high,  — a 
beautiful  monolith  of  dark  granite,  slightly  tapering  to- 
wards the  top,  and  covered  with  inscriptions.  Successive 
generations  have  gazed  upon  it,  wondering  when  and  by 
whom  and  for  what  purpose  it  was  erected.  It  was  not 
till  a few  years  ago  that  the  characters  were  deciphered ; 
but  a pundit,  learned  in  obsolete  Indian  literature,  came 
along  one  day,  and  discovered  that  the  writing  was  the 
ancient  Pali,  and  that  it  was  erected  by  the  Eajah 
Asoca,  almost  250  B.  C.  The  inscription  is  a royal 
proclamation,  prohibiting  cruelty  to  animals,  and  calling 
upon  the  public  to  erect  hospitals  and  other  charitable 
institutions.  In  those  ancient  days,  before  the  art  of 
printing  was  discovered,  princes  thus  promulgated  their 
decrees. 

It  was  at  Allahabad  that  the  Greek  Ambassador  Me- 
gasthenes  resided  300  B.  C.,  and  wrote  out  those  accounts 
of  India  which  have  come  down  to  us  through  Greek 
historians. 

This  was  a stronghold  during  Mohammedan  rule,  and 
the  old  building  called  the  Jummah  Musjeed  still  stands, 
a silent  witness  of  devotion  to  the  faith  in  those  days.  It 
was  a stately  mosque  ; but  during  the  late  mutiny  English 
soldiers  ate  their  rations  of  salt-pork  beneath  its  lofty 
dome,  and  made  it  forever  vile  to  the  followers  of  the 
Prophet.  Strange  are  the  contrasts  of  religious  belief.  To 
the  Mohammedan  pork  is  an  abomination ; but  three  min- 
utes’ walk  from  this  mosque  brings  us  to  a temple  where 
the  Hindoos  bow  down  to  the  image  of  the  -sacred  hog 
Baraha,  — which  is  the  second  incarnation  of  Vishnu,  who 
rooted  the  world  up  from  the  bottom  of  the  sea  ! For  that 


150 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


service  lie  is  greatly  beloved.  Men  present  potatoes,  man- 
goes, and  rice  to  his  hogsbip ; women  sprinkle  bis  sacred 
head  with  holy  water  brought  from  the  Ganges,  and  garland 
his  snout  with  flowers  ! So  man  wallows  in  degrada- 
tion, and  blindly  gropes  his  way  to  deeper  darkness,  when 
he  once  turns  away  from  God. 

We  reach  the  market-place,  where  noisy  purchasers 
are  chaffering  with  hucksters,  who  sit  beneath  wide-spread 
umbrellas  as  awnings,  supported  by  bamboo  sticks.  Some 
of  the  women  are  tattooed  with  fantastic  representations 
of  fish,  fruit,  or  flowers.  The  operation  is  performed 
when  they  are  quite  young.  Blue,  red,  and  yellow  colors 
are  used,  and  face,  neck,  arms,  and  body  are  subjected 
to  the  process.  To  us  it  seems  a ridiculous  custom  ; but 
we  dare  say  these  Hindoo  women,  observing  that  we  have 
our  ears  bored,  wonder  we  do  not  also  adorn  our  persons 
by  wearing  jewels  in  the  nose,  or  have  flowers  pricked  in 
India  ink  on  our  foreheads. 

Some  of  the  mothers  carry  their  infants  on  the  head 
in  a basket;  others  bear  them  on  the  hip,  the  little 
bronzed  creatures  clinging  to  the  slioidder  of  the  mother 
and  riding  at  ease. 

In  the  centre  of  the  market-place  is  a deep  well,  with 
a passage  leading  to  the  water  down  a long  flight  of  stone 
steps.  During  the  late  mutiny,  when  the  garrison  in  the 
fort  was  holding  out  against  the  infuriated  rebels,  one  of 
their  leaders,  in  order  to  incite  the  people  to  insurrection, 
and  influence  their  fanaticism,  had  a magic  carpet  spread 
over  the  well,  upon  which  he  seated  himself,  and  was  sus- 
tained, as  tlie  bloodthirsty  fanatics  believed,  by  the  power 
of  God.  Such  an  evidence  of  supernatural  aid  was  proof 
that  they  would  win  the  victory,  and  their  attacks  upon 
the  fort  were  renewed  with  greater  ferocity. 

But  Neill  was  on  his  way  from  Calcutta  with  reinforce- 
ments, and  scattered  the  mutineers  like  chaff.  Allalia- 


SCENES  IN  ALLAHABAD. 


151 


bad  was  the  first  place  relieved.  Had  it  fallen  before  the 
arrival  of  Neill,  far  different  perhaps  would  have  been  the 
state  of  affairs  in  India  to-day.'  The  valley  of  the  Ganges 
would  have  been  in  the  hands  of  the  mutineers  to  the 
very  suburbs  of  Calcutta,  and  the  rebellion  would  have 
obtained  such  a prestige  and  power,  that  a longer  and 
harder  struggle  would  have  been  required  on  the  part 
of  England  to  subdue  it.  I 

From  the  market-place  we  pass  through  a lofty  gate- 
way into  the  Chusero  Bagh,  a beautiful  garden  laid  out 
when  the  Moguls  were  in  their  greatest  power  and  glory. 
The  gate  itself  is  of  wood,  — solid,  enduring  teak.  It  was 
erected  more  than  two  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago ; has  , 


MOTHERS  OF  INDIA. 


152 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


withstood  the  burning  heat  of  the  sun,  the  parching  winds, 
the  soaking  rains,  through  all  these  mutable  years,  yet 
the  grain  of  the  wood  is  firm  and  compact  as  when  hewn 
from  the  forest. 

The  garden  is  hounded  on  one  side  by  three  stone  mau- 
soleums, erected  by  the  Mohammedans  several  hundred 
years  ago.  They  are  spacious  and  lofty,  with  panelled 
walls,  upon  which  are  graven  the  virtues  of  two  deceased 
princes  and  the  Begum  of  Jehangeer,  for  whom  they 
were  erected.  A square  cupola,  elaborately  ornamented, 
surmounts  the  flat  roof  of  the  edifice.  The  interior  still 
bears  traces  of  its  adornment  by  cimning  hands  when 
India  was  ruled  by  the  followers  of  the  Prophet,  and 
when  the  crescent  flag  waved  over  every  inch  of  territory 
between  the  turbid  Brahmaputra  and  the  verdant  vales 
of  Andalusia. 

But  the  Englishman  is  here,  and  cares  little  for  relics 
of  the  past  that  do  jiot  glorify  his  own  national  history. 
He  has  put  up  his  billiard-table  beneath  the  sculptured 
roof  of  one  of  these  magnificent  tombs,  and  we  hear  the 
clicking  of  the  ivory  balls  where  the  Mussulman  once 
rehearsed  the  virtues  of  the  deceased  princes.  The  Eng- 
lishman intends  to  make  this  tongue  of  land,  so  sacred 
to  the  Hindoo,  and  so  hallowed  to  the  Mohammedan, 
a busy  mart  of  traffic.  The  courts,  now  held  at  Agra,  are 
to  be  held  here,  and  it  is  proposed  to  make  this  the  capi- 
tal of  the  Northwest  Provinces.  It  will  soon  be  the  great 
railway  centre  of  the  empire.  Beal  estate  is  rising,  and 
men  who  are  conversant  with  political  affairs  predict  that 
ultimately  the  Governor-General  will  reside  here  instead 
of  at  Calcutta. 

The  present  population  is  about  one.  hundred  and  ten 
thousand,  and  is  rapidly  increasing.  The  railway  station, 
though  spacious,  is  to  give  place  to  one  of  greater  capa- 
city for  storing  merchandise. 


SCENES  IN  ALLAHABAD. 


153 


But  the  increasing  heat  warns  us  to  return  to  the 
hotel;  besides  it  is  the  breakfast  hour. 

A Hindoo  waiter,  with  a turban  shaped  like  a soup- 
plate,  who  stands  behind  us  at  the  table,  says,  “ Amer- 
ican ice,  sir ! ” as  he  drops  a lump  into  my  tumbler. 
Looking  out  from  the  veranda  to  the  next  house  we  see 
a sign,  “ American  Ice.”  Mr.  C.  L.  Brown  is  here, 
agent  of  the  Tudor  Ice  Company  of  Boston.  He  has 
been  fifteen  years  in  India.  The  company  are  extend- 
ing their  operations  to  the  interior.  Heretofore  the 
cities  up  country  have  been  supplied  by  “ machine  ice,” 
which  has  been  used  by  the  Europeans,  but  which  the 
natives  will  not  purchase.  They  are  afraid  it  may  con- 
tain something  that  will  make  them  unclean  ; but  Amer- 
ican ice  is  pure,  and  they  have  no  scruples  about  using 
it.  Mr.  Brown  has  orders  from  Jubbulpore,  Agra,  Luck- 
now, Delhi,  and  other  cities  along  the  different  lines  of 
railway.  Travellers  send  letters  requesting  him  to  have  a 
supply  at  the  station  on  the  arrival  of  the  trains.  They 
look  upon  it,  not  as  a luxury  merely,  but  as  an  article  that 
cannot  be  dispensed  with.  In  this  climate  it  is  a tonic. 
Men  do  not  exert  themselves  and  get  overheated  here 
as  in  the  United  States,  and  then  cool  off  by  di inking 
ice-water,  which,  under  such  circumstances,  brings  on 
cholera  and  fever;  but  they  keep  off  such  diseases  by 
reducing  the  system  to  a lower  temperature  by  its  use. 
Mr.  Brown  gives  the  go-by  to  ale  and  brandy,  the  com- 
mon drinks  of  Englishmen ; takes  ice-water  freely,  eats 
very  little  meat,  but  lives  on  rice,  bathes  every  morning, 
and  has  had  no  sickness  during  the  fifteen  years  of  liis 
Indian  life. 

The  ice  in  our  tumbler  is  three  years  old,  having  been 
harvested  in  1865.  The  most  extravagant  tale  of  the 
Orient  is  not  more  romantic  than  the  story  of  this  solidi- 
fied water  from  Wenham  Lake.  It  is  a piece  of  iinpris- 

7* 


154 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


oned  cold,  a fragment  of  a bygone  winter  transported  by 
sea  and  land  to  this  city  of  Central  India,  to  minister 
to  our  health  and  comfort. 

How  romantic  to  think  of  it ! — of  boyhood’s  rosy 
cheeks  and  girlhood’s  laughing  eyes,  the  joining  of  hands, 
the  swiftly  flying  feet  sweeping  the  gleaming  field,  the 
linking  of  hearts  for  a wider  curve  across  the  stream 
of  life ; — a picture  of  happiness  without  a counterpart 
in  the  world,  and  as  much  in  advance  of  life  in  this  trop- 
ical land  as  the  Sistine  Madonna  of  Raphael  is  superior 
to  the  figures  on  a Chinese  tea-chest ! 

Call  it  rhapsody,  sentiment,  what  you  will ; how  can 
one  help  tins  outburst  of  enthusiasm  with  a piece  of  ice 
from  Wenham  Lake  clinking  in  his  tumbler,  melting  in 
his  mouth,  cooling  his  parched  tongue,  and  bringing  to  his 
soul  a breeze  of  old  associations  ? 

Blessed  be  the  ice,  and  prosperity  to  the  Tudor  Com- 
pany! 


LLAHABAD  being  centrally  situated  is  a conven- 


ient place  for  educational  and  missionary  operations. 
English  and  American  missionaries  have  been  some  years 
on  the  ground,  not  only  preaching,  but  sustaining  schools, 
which  are  exercising  a beneficial  influence  on  the  com- 
munity. 

The  American  Presbyterian  churches  have  two  mis- 
sionaries in  the  city,  Rev.  Messrs.  Chven  and  Walsh, 
both  of  whom  have  been  here  about  a quarter  of  a cen- 
tury. We  find  Mr.  Chven  hard  at  wrork  in  his  library  on 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


NATIVE  SCHOOLS. 


NATIVE  SCHOOLS. 


155 


a new  translation  of  the  Bible.  His  time  is  given  to 
labor  of  that  sort  and  to  preaching  on  the  Sabbath.  He 
had  a translation  nearly  completed  at  the  time  of  the 
breaking  out  of  the  mutiny,  when  his  house  was  sacked 
all  liis  papers  destroyed,  and  his  work  of  years  entirely 
lost.  It  is  very  interesting  to  hear  him  recount  the  story 
of  the  mutiny,  while  sitting  at  his  breakfast-table,  — the 
trials  of  those  dark  days,  the  fidelity  of  the  native  Chris- 
tians, and  to  listen  to  his  account  of  a recent  journey  to 
Thibet.  An  English  officer  last  summer  was  ordered  to 
make  an  exploration  of  the  countiy  of  the  Himalayas 
bordering  on  China,  and  invited  Mr.  Owen  to  accompany 
him.  They  went  up  to  Delhi;  to  the  valley  of  the 
Sutlej ; followed  up  that  river ; climbed  the  mountains, 
over  passes  twenty-two  thousand  feet  high,  and  reached 
the  borders  of  Western  China;  but  here  they  were 
turned  back  by  the  authorities. 

It  is  a country  where  men  pray  by  machinery ; some- 
times by  water,  but  oftener  by  hand  power.  Dr.  Owen 
brought  down  one  of  their  prayer-wheels,  which  is  some- 
what like  a watchman’s  rattle,  only  it  makes  less  clatter. 
It  contains  a strip  of  paper  or  parchment,  on  which 


PRAYING  BY  HAND. 


156 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


prayers  are  written.  Swinging  it  is  praying,  just  as  the 
counting  of  heads  in  Catholic  countries  is  devotion.  More 
powerful  praying  machines  are  turned  by  the  mountain 
streams,  which  weary  not,  but  make  continued  supplica- 
tion day  and  night.  Between  beads  and  wheels,  the  last 
is  the  more  ingenious,  and  doubtless  quite  as  effective. 


PRAYING  BY  WATER. 


From  this  gentleman  we  obtain  many  facts  in  regard  to 
missionary  operations  in  India,  as  well  as  of  other  im- 
portant movements  for  the  enlightenment  of  Hindoos. 
He  informs  us  that  the  natives  have  a great  desire  to 
obtain  an  education.  He  received  a letter  last  week 
from  a native  who  had  been  educated  in  the  mission 


NATIVE  SCHOOLS. 


157 


school,  and  who  had  obtained  a place  on  the  railroad. 
He  had  been  promoted,  and  his  salary  advanced  from 
$ 75  to  $ 100  per  month.  The  letter  contained  $25,  and 
reads  as  follows  : — 

“ My  dear  old  master,  please  accept  the  increase  of 
my  salary  for  one  month  as  a thank-offering  to  the  Lord.” 

Yet  this  man  is  not  a Christian.  Although  he  does 
not  worship  idols,  he  has  not  embraced  the  Christian  re- 
ligion. He  has  only  arrived  at  a state  of  betweenity.  He 
knows  the  benefit  of  an  education,  probably  looks  upon 
the  Bible  as  superior  to  the  Shasters  ; at  any  rate,  he  gives 
a prize  of  one  dollar  per  month  to  the  scholar  of  the 
class  who  shows  the  most  proficiency  in  Biblical  knowl- 
edge. Caste,  and  the  influence  of  friends,  prevent  him 
from  openly  committing  himself  to  the  Christian  religion. 

And  so  with  many  native  gentlemen.  They  hold  the 
missionaries  in  high  esteem,  and  encourage  their  good 
work  in  many  ways,  but  they  canno,t  wholly  break  away 
from  their  idols,  and  range  themselves  in  the  ranks  of’ 
the  Christians,  — forego  the  love  of  friends  and  neigh- 
bors, and  be  classed  with  the  low  and  vile. 

Biding  through  the  native  portion  of  the  city,  past 
bazaars,  markets,  and  temples,  we  reach  the  house  of 
Bev.  Mr.  Walsh.  He  came  from  Newburg,  N.  Y. ; is 
hale,  hearty,  energetic,  and  has  a countenance  fresh  and 
fair,  after  a quarter  of  a century  of  labor  under  the  sun 
of  India. 

The  mission  premises  occupied  by  him  are  situated  on 
the  bank  of  the  Jumna,  and  formerly  belonged  to  the 
government.  They  comprise  a church,  a court-house,  sev- 
eral bungalows  for  officers,  a garden,  and  an  extensive 
park,  planted  with  shade-trees.  The  buildings  cost  a 
large  sum  of  money,  but  some  wise  engineer  informed 
the  governor  that  in  a few  years  the  whole  would  be 
tumbled  into  the  river ; therefore  a new  site  was  selected 
for  the  public  offices. 


158 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  missionaries  were  better  acquainted  with  the 
eccentricities  of  the  river,  and,  having  confidence  in  its 
integrity  at  that  particular  place,  purchased  the  entire 
estate  for  two  thousand  dollars.  They  can  sell  it  now  for 
fifty  thousand. 

It  is  a cliarmiUg  locality,  with  shady  lawns  and  wide- 
spreading  trees,  beneath  one  of  which  we  find.  Eev.  Mr. 
Walsh,  at  six  o’clock  in  the  morning,  talcing  a cup  of  tea. 

“ I have  about  four  hundred  hoys,”  he  says,  as  we  pass 
across  the  lawn  to  the  old  court-house,  “ of  all  ages,  shades, 
and  castes.  You  will  see  for  yourselves  what  they  are 
and  what  they  promise.  There  is  such  a demand  for 
English-speaking  natives  that  I cannot  graduate  a class. 
They  are  snapped  up  as  soon  as  they  can-  say,  ‘ How  do 
you  do  ? ’ and  ‘ Good  morning.’  A great  many  who  have 
gone  out  from  this  school  are  getting  far  greater  pay  than 
I am.” 

We  reach  the  door  of  the  building  — a one-storied  edi- 
fice, with  a thatched  roof  — in  season  to  see  the  scholars 
trooping  into  the  large  hall  by  classes.  They  rise  and  say, 
“ Good  morning.”  Then  comes  the  reading  of  the  Bible, 
and  a prayer  in  Hindostani  by  Mr.  Walsh ; then  all 
except  the  first  class  retire. 

The  first  exercise  is  in  reading,  with  Paradise  Lost  for  a 
text-book.  The  lesson  for  the  morning  is  from  the  Sec- 
ond Book,  the  description  of  Chaos  : — 

“ Behold  the  throne 

Of  Chaos,  and  his  dark  pavilion  spread 

Wide  on  the  wasteful  Deep ! With  him  enthroned 

Sat  sable-vested  Night,  eldest  of  things, 

The  consort  of  his  reign  ; and  by  them  stood 
Orcus  and  Ades,  and  the  dreaded  name 
Of  Demogorgon ; Rumor  next  and  Chance, 

And  Tumult  and  Confusion  all  embroiled, 

And  Discord  with  a thousand  various  mouths.” 

Here  is  something  not  found  in  the  Shasters  ; yet  the 


NATIVE  SCHOOLS. 


159 


scholars  understand  the  meaning  of  the  poet,  and  analyze 
the  sentences  quite  as  correctly  as  those  of  our  normal 
schools. 

“Who  are  the  people  mentioned  here,  and  where  do 
they  live  ? ” 

“ They  are  not  people,  sir ; they  are  personifications.” 

“ Is  this  poem  wholly  a fiction  ? ” 

“ No,  sir ; it  is  based  on  the  Bible.” 

Other  questions  elicit  intelligent  answers,  as  will  be 
seen  in  their  explanation  of  the  following  passage : — 

“ Or  when  Ulysses  on  the  larboard  shunned 
Charybdis,  and  by  the  other  Whirlpool  steered.” 

We  question  them  to  learn  what  they  know  of  Homer 
and  the  Odyssey,  or  of  geography. 

“ Who  was  the  person  here  referred  to  ? ” 

“ He  was  one  of  the  characters  in  Homer’s  poem.” 

“ "Who  was  Homer,  and  where  and.  when  did  he  live  ? ” 
“ He  was  a Greek  poet,  who  lived  more  than  two  thou- 
sand years  ago.” 

“ Where  are  the  localities  here  mentioned  ? ” 

“ In  the  Straits  of  Messina,  which  separate  Sicily  from 
Italy.” 

Near  the  close  of  the  book  are  these  lines  : — 

“ This  pendent  World,  in  bigness  as  a star, 

Of  smallest  magnitude  close  by  the  moon.” 

They  offer  us  the  opportunity  of  inquiring  what  the 
pupils  think  of  the  Hindoo  cosmogony,  which  makes  the 
earth  a broad,  flat  surface,  surrounded  by  seas,  with  a great 
mountain,  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  thousand  miles 
high,  in  the  distant  North,  around  which  the  sun  revolves, 
thus  producing  day  and  night ; the  whole  supported  on 
the  back  of  a great  turtle.  Above  the  earth  are  crystal 
spheres,  where  the  gods  dwell  on  green  islands,  surrounded 
by  oceans  of  melted  butter.  To  us  of  the  West  their 


160 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


terrestrial  and  celestial  physics  seem  on  a par  with  the 
description  in  Mother  Goose  of 

“ The  man  in  the  moon 
Who  came  down  at  noon 
To  inquire  the  way  to  Norridge.” 

One  of  the  pupils  gives,  at  our  request,  an  outline  of 
the  Hindoo  belief  in  regard  to  the  structure  of  the  Uni- 
verse. He  hangs  his  head  while  speaking,  as  if  ashamed 
of  his  former  ignorance.  Their  ideas  of  distance  and 
magnitude  are  limited.  They  never  have  travelled,  never 
have  been  far  from  their  native  city.  The  full  moon  to 
them  is  no  larger  than  a dinner-plate.  The  ninety  mil- 
lion miles  of  space  between  us  and  the  sun  is  an  incom- 
prehensible distance ; but  they  have  correct  notions  of 
the  solar  system,  of  balls  whirling  in  space  around  a 
central  orb. 

Noticing  that  one  of  the  class  has  a watch,  and  hav- 
ing been  talking  about  the  celestial  scenery,  we  gradually 
approach  the  subject  of  natural  religion. 

“ Does  your  watch  keep  good  time  ? ” 

“ Pretty  good.” 

“ Does  it  lose  or  gain  ? ” 

“ It  gains.” 

“ Did  you  ever  see  one  that  kept  exact  time  ? ” 

“ No,  sir  ; I don’t  think  it  possible  for  a man  to  make 
one.” 

“Why  not?” 

“ Because  of  the  difference  of  temperature  at  times,  and 
for  want  of  skill.” 

“ Does  the  earth  revolve  around  the  sun  without  any 
variation  ? ” 

“ Yes,  sir ; and  so  do  all  the  planets.” 

“ May  we  infer  anything  from  this  ? ” 

“Yes,  sir;  I think  that  we  may  infer  that  there  is  a 
God.” 


NATIVE  SCHOOLS. 


161 


He  has  not  studied  Butler  or  Paley,  nor  any  other 
author  on  natural  religion;  but  it  is  the  conclusion  arrived 
at  by  the  education  he  has  received  in  the  school,  with 
the  Bible  for  one  of  the  text-books. 

It  is  not  possible  for  us  to  fully  understand  the  work- 
ings of  their  minds.  They  are  young  men,  — the  oldest 
perhaps  twenty  years  of  age;  many  of  them  married, 
some  of  them  fathers.  Those  not  married  are  betrothed  ; 
though  who  they  are  affianced  to,  where  she  lives,  how 
she  looks,  whether  beautiful  or  ugly,  they  know  not. 
The  fathers  have  done  all  the  business.  They  have  been 
brought  up  to  worship  idols;  their  parents  bow  down 
to  Vishnu ; their  sisters  lay  flowers  on  the  shrine  of 
Krishna ; their  friends  and  relatives  and  acquaintances 
believe  in  those  deities,  perform  ablutions,  and  attend 
festivals.  They  see  the  absurdity  of  their  former  belief, 
and  are  ready  to  laugh  when  Mr.  Walsh  holds  it  up  to 
ridicule. 

The  next  exercise  is  on  the  Mind,  with  Abercrombie’s 
Philosophy  of  the  Moral.  Feelings  for  a text-book.  The 
lesson  of  the  morning  is  in  regard  to  Testimony,  the  credi- 
bility of  direct  and  circumstantial  evidence. 

Upon  this  they  are  at  sea.  The  Hindoo  is  wanting  in 
all  sense  of  moral  obligation.  His  sacred  book  — his 
Bible  — contains  no  code  of  moral  laws.  His  priest  sets 
him  an  example  of  duplicity.  He  never  trusts  his  dis- 
pute with  his  neighbor  to  the  arbitrament  of  a native 
judge,  who  has  ever  an  open  palm  for  him  who  will  pay 
the  highest  fee. 

A missionary  travelling  through  the  country  protected 
himself  from  the  noonday  heat  by  lying  in  a stream ; 
while  in  that  rather  unmagisterial  position  the  people  of 
the  neighboring  village  came  with  their  disputes,  made 
him  their  judge,  and  accepted  his  decisions.  They  have 
perfect  confidence  in  European,  but  none  in  Hindoo  jus- 


162 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


tice.  They  do  not  wish  to  see  natives,  no  matter  how 
learned  they  may  he  in  the  law,  put  upon  the  bench. 

“ How  would  you  get  at  the  truth  in  a court  of  law  ? ” 
we  ask. 

“ We  must  make  witnesses  swear  upon  what  they  hold 
to  be  most  sacred.” 

“ What  would  that  be  ? ” 

“ Some  would  swear  upon  the  Shasters,  others  by  the 
Ganges.” 

“Do  the  Shasters  make  men  better  ? or  does  the  Ganges 
make  men  morally  responsible  ? ” 

“ No,  sir ; but  whatever  men  believe  to  be  sacred  we 
must  make  them  swear  by.” 

Another  one  says  that  we  must  judge  of  the  credibility 
of  the  witness  from  his  previous  character ; while  the 
third  claims  that  we  must  judge  by  the  general  appear- 
ance of  the  man. 

Passing  into  the  room  occupied  by  the  second  class,  we 
find  them  reciting  in  algebra,  one  of  their  number  at  a 
black-board  solving  a problem.  They  are  boys  from 
twelve  to  sixteen  years  of  age.  As  a test  of  their 
ability  to  apply  their  knowledge  of  .mathematics  to  prac- 
tical life,  we  inquire  how,  if  they  were  building  a house, 
they  would  ascertain  mathematically  the  length  of  the 
rafters  of  the  roof.  The  answer  is  given  quickly  and 
correctly.  The  Hindoos  excel  in  mathematics,  and  com- 
mand high  salaries  as  clerks  and  accountants.  Some 
who  obtained  an  education  in  this  school  are  receiving 
a salary  of  twelve  hundred  dollars  per  annum.  This  is 
a stimulus  to  the  native  mind.  Formerly  it  was  diffi- 
cult to  obtain  pupils,  but  there  is  no  need  now  of  urging 
parents  to  send  their  boys  to  the  mission  schools,  which 
are  preferred  to  those  established  by  the  government, 
notwithstanding  the  missionaries  make  the  Bible  a text- 
book, and  teach  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion 


FROM  ALLAHABAD  TO  BENARES. 


163 


as  laid  down  in  the  catechism  of  the  Westminster 
divines. 

A journey  from  Bombay  to  this  city,  and  our  morning’s 
visit  to  this  school,  gives  us  a broader  view  of  the  mate- 
rial and  moral  forces  at  work  for  the  Christianization  of 
India.  The  success  of  this  mission  is  the  best  answer 
to  all  doubters  of  the  efficiency  of  the  means  and  the 
men  employed  in  regenerating  this  ancient  land  of ; 
Buddha  and  Brahma. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

FROM  ALLAHABAD  TO  BENARES. 

BEFORE  turning  our  faces  southward  from  Allahabad, 
down  the  valley  of  the  Ganges,  it  will  be  interest- 
ing to  glance  at  that  section  of  India  which  lies  north- 
ward of  this  city.  We  behold  a vast  plain,  watered  by 
the  Jumna,  the  Ganges,  and  their  numerous  affluents. 
It  widens  toward  the  north,  and  the  whole  of  the  im- 
mense area  is  densely  populated.  It  has  been  a human 
hive  for  forty  centuries.  When  the  Aryans— the  an- 
cestors of  the  Hindoos  — entered  the  valley  of  the  Indus, 
it  was  thickly  inhabited,  and  ten  centuries  passed  before 
they  were  powerful  enough  to  obtain  possession  of  the 
country.  No  portion  of  the  globe,  unless  some  sections 
of  China  may  be  excepted,  has  sustained  an  equal  num- 
ber of  human  beings. 

The  exceeding  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  industry  and 
art  of  the  people,  the  rich  fabrics  of  their  looms,  the 
diamond  mines  of  Golconda,  made  India,  in  bvgone  ages, 
renowned  as  the  richest  of  all  lands.  It  ever  excited 


164 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


the  cupidity  of  the  nations.  There  is  evidence  that 
Sesostris  once  sent  an  expedition  hither.  Certain  it  is 
that  the  Scythians  and  Persians  successively  swooped 
down  upon  these  treasure  - fields.  Alexander  almost 
reached  them,  and  probably  would  have  done  so  had  his 
life  not  been  cut  short  at  Babylon.  The  Mohammedans 
came,  fertilized  the  soil  afresh  with  blood,  ruled  with 
an  iron  hand,  till  their  Empire  crumbled  through  old 
age,  when  the  English  took;  possession  of  the  magnifi- 
cent domain. 

To  comprehend  the  density  of  population  here,  we  may 
think  of  the  six  New  England  States  and  New  York  as 
containing  thirty-three  million  inhabitants,  — all  of  the 
people  of  the  United  States  crowded  into  that  small 
area ! Or  if  the  present  population  of  the  Union  were 
living  in  Illinois  and  Iowa,  those  States  would  not  con- 
tain so  many  human  beings  as  are  now  living  on  less 
territory  in  the  Northwest  Provinces  of  India ! 

The  plain  is  alluvial,  and  would  sustain  a countless 
multitude  if  there  were  a constant  supply  of  water.  But 
the  summers  are  dry,  crops  sometimes  fail,  and  myriads  of 
the  dusky  race  at  times  have  been  swept  away  by  famine. 
A canal  four  hundred  miles  in  length  has  been  excavated 
to  bring  water  from  the  Himalayas,  irrigation  companies 
formed,  ‘and  it  is  the  intention  of  the  government  to 
establish  a system  of  water  supply,  which  will  add  im- 
measurably to  the  productive  capacity  of  the  soil. 

Formerly  the  products  of  this  section  found  their  way 
to  the  seaboard  only  by  tedious  and  uncertain  trans- 
portation down  the  Ganges,  while  British  goods  were 
still  longer  on  the  way  up  the  stream  from  Calcutta. 
The  cost  of  freightage  was  so  great  that  the  inhabi- 
tants could  not  afford  to  purchase  the  manufactures  of 
Manchester  and  Birmingham  ; but  the  railroad  has  worked 
a wonderful  change.  The  natives  cultivate  cotton,  which 


FROM  ALLAHABAD  TO  BENARES. 


165 


is  taken  to  England,  wrought  into  calico,  brought  back 
again,  and  sold  in  the  village  whence  the  snowy  pro- 
duct was  sent  away.  Land  and  labor  have  advanced 
in  value.  Men  who  barely  obtained  a living  before  the 
opening  of  the  railroad  are  now  beginning  to  accumulate 
money. 

It  would  be  interesting  to  visit  Cawnpoor,  Agra,  and 
Delhi,  and  behold  those  places,  made  forever  memorable 
by  the  events  of  twenty-five  centuries,  and  more  espe- 
cially by  the  mournful  and  heroic  scenes  of  the  late 
mutiny ; but  our  course  is  down  the  valley  of  the  Ganges. 

It  is  past  midnight  when  we  enter  the  railway  station 
at  Mirzapoor,  fifty-five  miles  south  of  Allahabad,  and  find 
the  carriage  of  an  English  missionary  awaiting  us. 

At  sunrise  we  are  abroad  with  Rev.  Mr.  Lambert,  rid- 
ing through  that  modern  town,  which  stands  on  the  west 
bank  of  the  Ganges.  A multitude  of  natives  are  filling 
their  water-jars  at  the  river. 

The  city  is  one  of  the  best  points  for  traffic  in  Hindos- 
tan.  The  country  around  is  very  productive.  About 
one  sixth  of  all  the  cotton  and  grain  of  India  comes  from 
Mirzapoor,  and  the  warehouses  of  this  city  supply  goods 
to  fifty  millions  of  people  ! A visit  to  these  stores  lets  us 
into  the  secret  of  England’s  prosperity.  In  every  village 
of  this  empire  goods  of  British  manufacture  may  be  found. 
In  every  native  hut  something  is  seen  which*  has  passed 
through  the  hands  of  British  workmen.  The  strip  of  cot- 
ton which  the  cooly  wears  for  decency  was  woven  in  an 
English  loom ; the  little  brass  image  of  Krishna  before 
which  the  Hindoo  woman  bows  in  worship  came  from  a 
Birmingham  workshop. 

The  town  has  no  ancient  renown,  but  has  grown  up 
since  the  occupation  of  India  by  the  English.  The  pres- 
ent population  is  about  eighty  thousand. 

A short  distance  out  of  the  town  is  a hill  upon  which 


166 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


stands  the  temple  of  Kali,  the  goddess  of  murderers. 
Here,  in  former  years,  the  Thugs  came  with  their  offer- 
ings, laid  them  at  the  feet  of  the  idol,  worshipped,  and 
then  went  out  to  knock  their  victims  on  the  head  and 
tumble  them  into  the  Ganges.  It  is  said  to  be  the  only 
temple  to  that  goddess  now  standing  in  India.  The  gov- 
ernment has  hunted  the  last  Thug  out  of  the  country, 
and  human  life  is  as  well  protected  here  as  in  any 
other  country. 

We  are  kindly  entertained  by  Mr.  Lambert,  who  is 
connected  with  the  London  Missionary  Society,  and  who 
confirms  the  view  already  advanced,  that  railroads  are 
breaking  up  caste  and  revolutionizing  society. 

'Seated  in  his  pleasant  parlor,  with  the  punka  in  motion 
over  our  heads,  he  gives  us  valuable  information  in  regard 
to  the  social  life  of  the  Hindoos.  We  have  supposed  that 
a Brahman  was  only  defiled  if  brought  in  contact  with 
those  of  lower  caste,  but  they  are  dishonored  as  well.  If 
a woman  of  the  higher  classes  uncovers  her  face  before 
strangers,  she  disgraces  her  husband  as  well  as  herself. 

An  Englishman  at  Mirzapoor  whose  windows  overlooked 
the  garden  of  a wealthy  Hindoo  was  ungallant  enough  to 
use  his  opera-glass  one  day  while  the  wife  of  his  neighbor 
was  walking  beneath  the  trees  without  her  veil.  The 
result  was  domestic  discord  and  unutterable  woe.  The 
wife  threw  trerself  at  the  husband’s  feet,  hiding  her  head 
in  shame  ; and  the  man,  with  a broken  heart,  rushed  to 
the  Englishman’s  residence,  crying,  “ I am  forever  dishon- 
ored. Everybody  will  laugh  at  me.  I never  shall  go 
into  good  society  again  ! ” 

The  tyranny  of  caste  is  inconceivable  till  one  comes  in 
contact  with  it.  If  a Hindoo  woman  of  high  caste  wishes 
to  travel  in  the  cars,  she  is  taken  to  the  station  and  put, 
palankeen  and  all,  into  a freight-car. 

It  shows  its  power  among  the  servants.  There  is  no 


FROM  ALLAHABAD  TO  BENARES. 


167 


such  thing  as  a general  house-servant  in  India.  One 
man  sweeps,  another  brings  water,  a third  blacks  our 
boots,  the  fourth  answers  the  door-bell.  There  is  no 
interchange  of  work.  Men  labor  in-doors,  while  their 
wives  are  cultivating  the  land.  Women  can  earn,  by 
hard  work,  four  cents  a day.  They  live  mainly  on  rice, 
the  poorest  quality  of  which  costs  two  and  a half  cents  a 
pound.  There  cannot  be  much  variety  in  their  fare ; and 
at  the  close  of  December,  as  to  wealth,  they  are  where 
they  were  at  the  beginning  of  the  year.  On  such  a pit- 
tance they  do  well  to  keep  soul  and  body  together. 

Another  ride  of  forty  miles  by  rail  brings  us  to  the 
station  of  Mogul  Serai,  where  we  leave  the  main  line. 
A branch  four  miles  long,  over  a fertile  plain,  where 
numerous  jackals  are  ranging  through  the  fields,  takes 
us  to  the  Benares  station,  on  the  west  bank  of  the 
Ganges.  Stepping  from  the  car,  we  have  a view  before 
us  which  has  thrilled  the  souls  of  countless  millions. 
What  Jerusalem  is  to  the  Christian,  Mecca  to  the  Mo- 
hammedan, Benares  is  to  the  Hindoo,  — the  holiest  spot  on 
earth.  The  city  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  world.  Twenty- 
six  centuries  have  passed  since  Borne  was  founded ; but 
before  Bomulus  was  heard  of  Benares  was  an  ancient 
town.  Long  before  the  shepherd-boy  of  Bethlehem  tend- 
ed his  father’s  flocks  on  the  Judsean  hills,  before  Jeru- 
salem became  the  city  of  the  Lord,  pilgrims  visited  this 
sacred  shrine.  Komans,  Greeks,  Jews,  Assyrians,  Egyp- 
tians, with  their  religions,  have  disappeared  as  nations, 
but  the  Hindoo  people  still  exist,  numbering  as  many  to- 
day probably  as  at  any  period  of  their  history.  Their 
religion  remains,  and  Benares  is  now,  as  it  has  been  from 
the  earliest  ages,  a city  of  temples. 

Tall,  white  minarets,  golden  domes  of  mosques,  and 
temples  and  princely  palaces  rise  before  us.  At  our  feet 
the  Ganges  rolls  its  mighty  flood.  Many  a pilgrim,  from 


168 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


the  remotest  province  of  India,  measuring  his  weary  way, 
by  prayer  and  penance,  through  months  and  years,  be- 
holding those  gleaming  spires  has  been  thrilled  with  joy 
unspeakable.  Paradise  was  before  him.  The  Ganges 
was  the  river  of  eternal  life.  In  its  flowing  water  the 
sinful  soul  would  be  cleansed  from  every  stain,  and  in 
yonder  holy  city  he  would  find  everlasting  peace. 

A bridge  of  boats  crosses  the  river,  over  which  we  are 
taken  in  a carriage.  Hundreds  of  Hindoos  are  bathing 
along  the  shore,  or  plunging  from  the  boats,  paying  no 
attention  to  a swollen  and  disfigured  corpse  floating  down 
the  stream.  The  government  is  endeavoring  to  put  a 
stop  to  the  practice  of  throwing  dead  bodies  into  the 
Ganges  ; but  the  river  is  so  holy,  and  the  custom  so  an- 
cient, that  the  police  cannot  wholly  prevent  it. 

Several  elephants,  in  charge  of  their  keepers,  are  sport- 
ing in  the  current.  They  disappear  beneath  the  surface, 
till  their  masters  are  knee-deep  in  water.  When  in  play- 
ful moods  they  shake  them  off,  then  pick  them  up  as  ten- 
derly as  a mother  her  child.  Ho  animals  are  more  fond 
of  bathing.  They  are  exceedingly  serviceable  in  trans- 
porting artillery  across  the  country.  So  tractable  and 
docile  are  they,  that  when  caparisoned,  and  on  parade,  at 
the  word  of  command  every  animal  salutes  the  reviewing 
officer  by  elevating  his  trunk. 

We  ascend  the  steep  bank  on  the  eastern  side  by  the 
aid  of  a half-dozen  Hindoos,  who  push  at  the  carriage- 
wheels,  and  thrust  their  hands  into  the  window  for 
annas.  They  call  us  Sahib  respectfully,  ask  beseechingly, 
and  are  so  thankful  for  what  they  receive,  that  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  put  the  diminutive  copper  coin  into  their 
hands.  Two  cents  will  give  them  a good  dinner.  Alio 
would  not  make  men  happy  when  it  can  be  done  at  so 
cheap  a rate  ? 

Up  a broad  street,  beneath  palms  and  pepul-tree^. 


FROM  ALLAHABAD  TO  BENARES. 


169 


through  dust  ankle  deep,  we  ride  to  the  Victoria  Hotel,  in 
the  northern  suburbs.  Jt  is  a small,  one-story  building, 
with  a thatched  roof.  The  accommodations  are  not  sump- 
tuous, for  few  Europeans  have  business  at  Benares,  and 
there  is  no  call  for  a spacious  hotel.  Our  landlord,  James 
Ebenezer,  a native  Christian,  does  his  best  to  make  us 
comfortable,  sets  a good  table,  and  is  very  courteous. 

It  will  add  to  the  interest  of  our  visit  if,  before  stroll- 
ing through  the  streets,  we  take  a look  at  Benares  as  it 
was  twenty-five  centuries  ago. 

In  the  earliest  Hindoo  records  it  is  spoken  of  as  the 
great  city  Kasi,  supported  by  Shiva  upon  his  trident.  To 
him  its  shrines  and  temples  are  dedicated.  Memphis, 
Babylon,  and  Nineveh  were  its  contemporaries,  but  they 
have  disappeared,  while  Kasi  remains  to  attest  the  pre- 
serving power  of  this  mighty  god.  Its  modern  name  is 
derived  from  the  Barana  Eiver,  an  affluent  of  the  Ganges, 
which  winds  past  our  hotel. 

The  institutes  of  Menu  were  written,  as  is  supposed, 
about  700  B.  C.,  and  in  them  we  have  an  account  of 
Benares.  It  was  one  of  six  independent  kingdoms  in  the 
valley  of  the  Ganges.  Looking  westward  from  our  hotel, 
we  see  at  the  confluence  of  the  Barana  with  the  Ganges, 
the  site  of  the  fortress  which  in  those  times  was  the 
stronghold  of  the  kingdom,  and  within  which  stood  the 
royal  palace.  The  writer  of  that  ancient  volume  brings 
before  us  the  assembling  of  the  royal  guards,  with  shining 
sabres  and  iron-bound  war-clubs  ; sentinels  with  scymitars 
guard  the  gates  ; warriors  with  immense  bows,  and  arrows 
six  feet  in  length  in  their  quivers,  stand  upon  the  tur- 
reted  walls  ; cavalry,  armed  with  spears,  sweep  the  wide 
plain ; the  sovereign  goes  forth  from  his  palace  with 
a train  of  elephants,  richly  caparisoned,  and  sabres  on 
their  tusks,  mowing  down  the  opposing  squadrons ; war- 
chariots,  drawn  by  strong  horses,  dash  into  the  ranks  of 
8 


170 


OUK  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


the  enemy.  Such  is  the  ancient  picture  of  military 
array. 

Two  hundred  years  before  Plato  opened  his  academy 
in  the  olive-groves  of  the  western  suburbs  of  Athens 
Benares  was  in  the  zenith  of  her  literary  fame.  The 
streets  were  crowded  with  scholars,  who  flocked  from 
all  the  East  to  attend  the  seven  hundred  seminaries 
of  learning ! The  Tamil  drama,  “ Arichandra,”  pictures 
to  us  the  wealthy  mansions  of  the  Yaisas,  the  shops 
and  stalls,  money-changers,  and  their  heaps  of  gold  and 
silver. 

Here  Buddha  taught  his  atheistical  doctrines ; here 
Brahmans  and  Buddhists,  learned  in  philosophy,  held  dis- 
cussions as  keen  as  ever  were  heard  in  Athenian  groves. 

From  Chinese,  Hindoo,  and  Mohammedan  history  we 
have  accounts  of  this  holy  city,  which,  through  the  mu- 
tations of  time,  changes  of  dynasties,  and  commotions  of 
war,  has  maintained  in  some  degree  its  ancient  splendor, 
and  to-day  awakens  in  the  hearts  of  one  hundred  and 
fifty  millions  of  the  human  race  the  most  sacred  asso- 
ciations. 


CHAPTEE  XVIII. 

THE  CITY  OF  BENARES. 

“ O AHIB,  it  is  four  o’clock!”  We  had  given  in- 
O structions  to  the  servant  at  the  hotel  to  call  us  at 
that  early  hour,  and  he  is  prompt  to  a minute  in  doing 
his  duty.  A half-hour  later  we  are  riding  through  the 
streets,  accompanied  by  Eev.  Mr.  Hewlet,  of  the  London 
Missionary  Society,  to  take  a look  at  the  city.  Nu- 


THE  CITY  OF  BENABES. 


171 


merous  adjutant-cranes  are  in  the  fields  and  gardens  and 
on  the  house-tops.  They  have  long  slender  legs,  and 
stand  motionless  by  the  hour,  or  cock  their  eyes  at  us 
with  a knowing  look.  The  English  soldiers  contrive  to 
kill  time  by  tying  pieces  of  meat  together  with  several 
yards  of  cord  between.  They  are  gobbled  down  by  the 
birds.  Then  comes  the  tug  of  war,  on  the  ground  or  in 
the  air.  They  rise,  one  aiming  for  a tree,  the  other  for 
a house-top.  Up  they  go,  pulling,  fluttering,  losing  their 
balance,  turning  topsy-turvy,  till  a sudden  jerk  by  one 
causes  the  other  to  disgorge  his  breakfast,  and  the  first, 
not  being  able  to  carry  the  dangling  weight,  comes  head- 
long to  the  ground. 

No  Hindoo  kills  a bird.  Myriads  of  sparrows  chirp 
amid  the  shrubbery.  There  are  kites  by  the  thousand, 
crows  by  the  ten  thousand.  With  the  jackals,  which 
come  in  from  the  fields  at  night,  they  keep  the  streets 
clear  of  all  garbage.  There  never  is  seen  in  an  Indian 
town  such  filth  as  is  common  to  the  streets  of  New 
York. 

We  are  on  our  way  to  the  monkey  pagoda,  where 
Hunnooman  is  worshipped  in  the  form  of  a monkey. 
This  god  was  an  ancient  warrior  who,  early  in  Indian  his- 
tory, conquered  Ceylon,  the  inhabitants  of  which  were  so 
small  of  stature  that  he  compared  them  to  monkeys.  As 
the  years  rolled  by,  and  his  exploits  were  handed  down 
in  story  and  song,  the  people  thought  of  him  as  a deity, 
and  represented  their  ideal  by  a monkey.  Not  oidy  at 
Benares,  but  throughout  India,  his  image,  in  brass,  wood, 
and  stone,  is  worshipped  in  public  temples  and  at  family 
shrines.  Because  he  bears  an  apish  form,  monkeys  are 
kindly  cared  for,  and  the  grand  temple  of  Hunnooman 
is  their  favorite  resort. 

Before  reaching  it  we  see  the  animals  sitting  on  walls, 
grinning  at  us  from  the  tops  of  the  houses,  or  hanging  by 


172 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


their  tails  from  the  branches  of  the  trees.  Two  of  them 
jump  suddenly  from  their  perch  upon  the  wall,  seize  a 

melon  from  a tray, 
and  are  up  again 
before  the  unsus- 
pecting market- 
woman  whom  they 
have  plundered  is 
aware  of  her  loss. 

At  the  corners 
of  streets,  in  gar- 
dens and  shops, 
are  shrines  dedi- 
cated to  this  mon- 
key-god. 

Flower  - sellers 
have  set  up  their 
stalls  by  the  en- 
trance to  the  tem- 
ple, for  every  wor- 
shipper is  expected 
to  give  a flower  to 
the  god.  He  does 
not  live  on  flowers 
alone,  but  accepts 
melons,  squashes,  cucumbers,  rice,  or  eatables  of  any  kind, 
which  the  priests  take  into  their  own  quarters,  after 
Hunooman  has  finished  his  repast. 

The  monkeys  gnash  their  teeth  at  us  as  we  approach 
the  gate.  One  of  them  opens  his  jaws  as  if  to  swallow 
us  at  a mouthful ; but  a flourish  of  an  umbrella  sends 
them  all  scampering  to  a safer  distance. 

Old  devotees,  smeared  with  paint,  are  sitting  by  the 
gateway.  Their  foreheads  are  streaked  with  red,  their  bod- 
ies with  yellow.  Tbeir  only  clothing  is  a yard  of  cloth 


THE  CITY  OF  BENARES. 


173 


around  the  body.  They  have  cocoannt-shells  in  their 
hands,  into  "which  they  expect  you  to  drop  money,  or  rice, 
or  something  good  to  eat.  They  are  poor,  half-starved 
wretches,  but  esteem  themselves  to  be  very  holy. 

We  step  inside 
the  gate,  and  find 
ourselves  in  a yard 
about  fifty  feet 
square,  containing 
a pagoda  in  the 
centre.  We  look 
through  the  open 
door  and  see  a hid- 
eous idol,  before 
which  a lamp  is 
burning;  Two  or 
three  worshippers 
are  there,  offering 
flowers  and  sprink- 
ling water.  One  of 
them  comes  out, 
strikes  a bell,  and 
begins  to  walk 
round  the  pagoda, 
which  is  his  man- 
ner of  worship- 
ping. 

Meanwhile  the  monkeys  are  having  a gay  frolic,  run- 
ning about  the  pagoda,  leaping  from  the  wall  to  the 
ground,  from  the  ground  to  the  wall,  or  climbing  into 
the  trees,  the  old  monkeys  carrying  their  little  ones. 

Benares  is  so  holy  that  the  Brahmans  say  if  an  Eng- 
lishman or  an  American  dies  here,  though  a disbeliever  in 
the  Hindoo  religion,  he  will  be  saved.  In  Hindoo  liter- 
ature the  city  is  always  spoken  of  as  a place  of  holiness 
and  heavenly  beauty. 


DISPUTED  TERRITORY. 


174 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


A short  ride  brings  us  to  the  Ganges,  at  the  northern 
border  of  the  city.  The  river  sweeps  past  with  a ma- 
jestic tide,  and  the  whole  water  front  of  more  than  three 
miles  is  before  us.  Thousands  of  boats  of  various  forms 
are  in  view,  — canoes  dug  from  the  trunks  of  trees,  skiffs, 
sailing  vessels,  with  pointed  prows,  high  and  wide  sterns, 
and  with  rudders  as  large  and  unwieldy  as  the  great 
doors  of  an  American  bam,  and  slender  masts,  bamboo 
yards,  and  sails  of  India  matting.  Stately  stone  steps 


THE  SACRED  STREAM. 


lead  down  to  the  brink  of  the  river.  Thousands  of  the 
natives,  old  and  young,  are  bathing  in  the  stream,  or 
washing  clothing,  brass  pots,  and  earthen  pans.  Mothers 
souse  their  babies,  and  scrub  them  with  sacred  mud. 
The  little  ones  kick  and  scream  and  splash,  but  only  by 
this  thorough  ablution  can  a child  be  cleansed  from  sin. 
Old  men  scour  their  mouths,  cleanse  their  ears,  and  run 
their  fingers  briskly  through  their  hair.  If  there  is  any 
efficacy  in  the  mud  and  water  of  the  Ganges,  they  are 
bound  to  get  rid  of  all  defilement. 


THE  CITY  OF  BENARES. 


175 


Taking  a boat,  we  float  slowly  down  with  the  current, 
and  have  an  excellent  opportunity  of  beholding  the  city 
from  the  river.  We  pass  the  place  where  the  bodies  of 
the  dead  are  burned.  They  are  brought  to  the  bank  of 
the  river  and  covered  with  wood.  The  flame  is  kindled 
by  the  chief  mourner ; then  the  friends  sit  down,  wait 
till  the  body  is  consumed,  and  gather  the  ashes  and  cast 
them  into  the  stream,  to  be  borne  out  into  the  ocean.  So 
the  spirit  of  the  departed  floats  on  the  eternal  tide,  till’ 
absorbed  forever  into  the  self-existing  Brahma. 

A river-bank  is  the  most  attractive  place  in  the  world 
for  a Hindoo.  Bathing  is  a religious  rite.  To  erect  a 
ghat,  by  which  worshippers  can  reach  the  sacred  stream, 
is  a meritorious  act,  which  the  gods  will  remember 
and  reward.  Hindoos  are  animated  by  a religious  zeal 
quite  as  fervent  as  that  which  prompts  good  people  in 
America,  and  in  other  parts  of  Christendom,  to  erect 
churches,  or  establish  religious  institutions  of  any  kind. 
To  the  people  of  Benares  there  are  no  places  so  near 
heaven  as  these  magnificent  flights  of  stone  steps.  Their 
happiest  hours  of  life  are  passed  here.  In  the  early  morn- 
ing they  come  to  bathe,  and  offer  a prayer ; and  when 
the  blazing  sun  wheels  down  the  west,  and  the  shadows 
begin  to  lengthen,  here  they  gather  once  more  to  gossip 
upon  the  events  of  the  day ; youth,  beauty,  fasliion,  all 
ahke  make  it  a resort,  and  human  nature  manifests 
itself  much  the  same  by  the  flowing  Ganges  as  by  the 
seaside  at  Newport  or  Long  Branch. 

Benares  sets  the  fashion  in  India.  Paris  has  no  power 
here.  The  beauties  of  this  old  city  are  considered  the 
queens  of  Hindoo  society.  Here  may  be  found  the  rich, 
the  learned,  and  the  polite  men  of  the  nation ; here, 
better  than  anywhere  else,  can  be  seen  the  India  of  the 
past. 

In  our  course  down  the  stream  we  pass  numerous 


176 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


pagodas,  built  by  wealthy  men  for  the  benefit  of  the 
millions  of  pilgrims  that  from  time  to  time  throng 
Benares.  Grand  palaces  adorn  the  banks,  erected  by 
princes  and  rajahs,  who  wish  to  spend  their  last  days 
near  this  sacred  stream.  One  of  the  finest  of  the  ghats, 
undermined  by  the  floods,  has  slipped  down  the  bank 
into  the  river,  and  others  are  just  ready  to  follow,  — fit 
emblem  of  the  change  which  has  already  commenced  in 
the  Hindoo  religion,  which  is  being  swept  away  by  the 
mighty  current  of  Christian  civilization. 

“ The  time  was,”  remarks  our  kind  conductor,  “ when 
the  Brahmans  carried  things  with  a high  hand.  When 
I first  came  to  this  city,  several  years  ago,  if  a priest 
was  passing  through  the  street,  and  saw  a Sudra  advan- 
cing, he  had  only  to  clap  his  hands,  and  tire  trembling 
creature  turned  back  till  he  reached  a side  street,  that 
the  Brahman  might  not  be  polluted  by  his  presence 
as  he  passed ! And  I have  seen  them  wade  into  the 
water  up  to  their  necks,  or  throw  themselves  under  the 
hedges,  that  their  shadows  might  not  contaminate  the 
holy  man.” 

On  one  of  the  ghats  we  see  a white  bull,  standing  on  a 
broad  step,  contentedly  chewing  hjs  cud,  lashing  his  sides 
with  his  tail,  and  looking  down  upon  the  multitude  as  if 
lord  over  all.  Not  long  ago  one  of  these  sacred  animals 
broke  into  the  garden  of  a native  Christian,  and  ate  up 
his  vegetables.  The  native  revenged  himself  by  split- 
ting open  the  skull  of  the  intruder.  Of  course  there 
was  great  commotion  among  the  Brahmans,  who  were 
indignant  at  such  an  insult  to  Shiva.  They  dragged 
the  Christian  into  court,  and  made  complaint. 

“ Who  owned  the  bull  ? ” asked  the  judge. 

“ Shiva,”  replied  the  Brahman. 

“ Then  let  Shiva  appear  and  make  complaint,”  said  he  ; 
and  there  was  an  end  of  the  case,  but  not  an  end  of  its 


THE  CITY  OF  BENARES. 


177 


influence.  From  that  time  to  the  present  bulls  and 
Brahmans,  like  the  ghats,  have  been  slipping  down,  and 
will  be  at  the  bottom  by  and  by. 

Dismissing  our  boat,  and  ascending  the  steps,  we  reach 
the  Madoo-rai-ke-dharara,  a Mohammedan  mosque,  with 
two  slender  white  minarets,  which  rise  two  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground.  Over  the  doorway 
leading  to  the  interior  wasps  have  built  an  enormous 
nest,  and  buzz  about  our  ears  as  we  approach.  The 
mosque  is  not  much  used  by  worshippers  how,  for 
Benares  is  a Hindoo  city,  and  an  uncomfortable  place 
for  a Mussulman.  The  antagonism  is  as  strong  between 
the  believers  in  Brahma  and  the  followers  of  the  Prophet 
as  was  that  between  the  Jews  and  Samaritans. 

Climbing  the  winding  stairs  in  one  of  the  minarets,  we 
reach  the  highest  balcony,  and  look  out  upon  one  of  the 
most  charming  views  in  all  India.  The  city,  with  its 
vast  expanse  of  tiled  roofs,  its  minarets  and  its  spires, 
and  the  domes  of  pagodas  and  temples,  is  spread  out  be- 
fore us.  Four  hundred  feet  below  rolls  the  mighty  flood 
of  the  Ganges.  We  can  trace  its  winding  course  far 
away,  through'  green  fields,  fertile  meadows,  and  groves  of 
tufted  palm.  In  the  heart  of  the  city  in  the  Biseswara 
pagoda,  its  roof  of  burnished  gold  dazzling  our  eyes 
with  its  brightness.  To  the  Hindoo  this  temple  is  as 
dear  as  was  the  house  of  the  Lord  on  Mount  Moriah 
to  the  ancient  Jews,  as  sacred  to  him  as  St.  Peter’s  to 
the  most  devout  papist  entering  the  walls  of  Rome. 

Beyond  the  city  are  groves  and  gardens  and  native 
villages,  with  their  white  pagodas ; and  away  to  the 
northeast  we  catch  the  outline  of  the  Himalayas,  tower- 
ing in  unapproachable  grandeur.  The  hum  of  thou- 
sands of  voices,  the  tramping  of  feet,  and  the  hubbub 
of  the  street,  rise  softened  to  our  ears.  From  this  bal- 
cony the  muezzin  calls  the  hour  for  prayer. 


178 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Standing  here  we  can  cast  a glance  into  the  past,  and 
recall  the  time  when  the  great  Aurungzebe  ascended  the 
throne.  It  was  in  the  year  1630, — that  year  when 
Governor  Winthrop  and  his  hardy  followers  were  set- 
tling the  little  town  of  Boston,  — that  he,  through 
treachery,  hypocrisy,  and  blood,  obtained  the  object  of 
his  desire.  The  Brahmans  felt  his  power.  Hindoo 
temples  were  demolished,  idols  overthrown,  the  prop- 
erty of  # priests  confiscated,  and  Mohammedan  mosques 
set  up  in  the  most  holy  places  of  the  Hindoos.  On 
this  spot,  close  by  the  Ganges,  one  of  the  most  sacred 
sites  in  the  world,  stood  a temple  dedicated  to  Vishnu, 
which  was  constantly  thronged  with  pilgrims.  Aurung- 
zebe pulled  it  down,  and  erected  this  mosque,  whose 
lofty  dome  and  minarets  overlook  every  holy  place  in 
the  city.  Keenly  the  Brahmans  felt  the  humiliation 
and  disgrace  ; and  now  with  no  little  satisfaction  they 
point  to  the  last  letters  of  the  monarch,  written  just 
before  his  death,  when  the  Mahratta  power  was  rising 
in  the  West  and  threatening  his  overthrow,  and  say 
that  Vishnu  was  troubling  his  soul.  “ Wherever  I 
look,”  wrote  this  ambitious,  unscrupulous  man,  “ I see 
nothing  but  the  Divinity ; I have  committed  numerous 
crimes,  and  I know  not  with  what  punishments  I may  be 
seized.  Come  what  may,  I have  launched  my  vessel  on 
the  waves.”  * 

Descending  and  passing  along  narrow  streets,  by  shops 
where  thousands  of  idols  are  exposed  for  sale,  past  devo- 
tees, with  painted  foreheads,  sitting  in  silent  meditation, 
we  reach  the  court  of  the  Biseswara,  or  the  golden  pagoda 
of  the  holy  bull.  Near  the  gateway,  once  glittering  with 
precious  stones,  but  now  despoiled  of  its  riches,  sit  sev- 
eral musicians,  one  with  a two-stringed  instrument,  a 
cross  between  a guitar  and  a violin,  one  beating  a small 


* Letters  to  Azim  and  Cambaksh. 


THE  CITY  OF  BENARES. 


179 


drum,  and  a third  striking  two  small  bells  with  little 
hammers. 

Entering  the  gate  we  find  an  open  court,  with  the 
pagoda  in  the  centre  of  the  area.  The  edifice  is  not  more 
than  thirty  or  forty  feet  square  ; but  whatever  is  wanting 
in  magnitude  is  made  up  in  richness  and  beauty.  The 
dome-like  roof  is  surmounted  by  four  tall  minarets,  and 
roof,  minarets,  and  spire  are  overlaid  with  purest  gold  ! 

Near  by  stands  his  godship,  — a great  clumsy  stone 
bull,  — with  wreaths  of  fresh  flowers  on  his  horns,  fes- 
toons about  his  neck,  bouquets  tied  to  his  tail  or  wedged 
into  his  nostrils.  A Hindoo  woman  is  bathing  his  hoofs 
and  spattering  his  sides  with  water  just  brought  from  the 
Ganges.  She  bows  before  the  idol,  walks  around  it,  and 
again  sprinkles  the  water  upon  the  senseless  stone,  in 
earnest  devotion. 

An  orchestra  of  eight  persons  occupies  a balcony  over- 
looking the  court.  Their  instruments  consist  of  a fiddle 
that  must  have  been  patterned  after  a crook-necked 
squash,  a tambourine,  and  six  kettle-drums  ! The  drum- 
mers make  an  intolerable  amount  of  noise,  and  the  vio- 
linist a faint  squeak  of  melody. 

A few  steps  from  the  idol  is  a well  in  which  the  god 
once  took  refuge,  when  Benares  fell  into  the  hands  of  an 
enemy,  and  which  to  the  Hindoo  is  as  sacred  as  the  bit 
of  time-yellowed  cotton  cloth,  — the  last  rag  of  the  Vir- 
gin’s chemise,  — carefully  preserved  in  the  church  of  St. 
Maria  Maggiore  at  Rome  ! Here  sits  an  old  Brahman, 
with  a bucket  of  holy  water  by  his  side,  a cocoanut 
dipper  in  his  hand  filling  the  cups  of  pilgrims  with 
water  drawn  from  the  sacred  well,  into  which  each  pilgrim 
drops  a flower.  Looking  into  the  well,  we  see  a mass  of 
withered  and  decaying  flowers,  mingled  with  fresh  ones, 
floating  in  stagnant,  slimy  water.  A green  scum  has 
gathered  on  the  surface ; fungi  grow  on  the  walls ; a 


180 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


sickening  odor  pervades  the  air.  We  turn  hastily  away 
from  the  nauseating  cesspool,  while  pilgrims  in  an  end- 
less line  present  their  cups  to  the  old  Brahman,  and  drink 
the  filthy  mess.  To  them  it  is  the  elixir  of  life,  the  puri- 
fier which  will  cleanse  from  all  sin  ! 

Going  to  another  quarter  of  the  court,  we  stand  in 
the  presence  of  the  great  Shiva  himself,  seated  on  his 
throne,  with  half-closed  eyes,  and  expressionless  coun- 
tenance,— the  image  of  a besotted  beer-drinker  in  the 
sleepy  stage  of  drunkenness.  Above  him  rises  the  gor- 
geous golden  dome.  The  spot  on  which  this  temple' 
stands  has  been  his  home  for  a hundred  million  years  ! 
Here  for  nearly  thirty  centuries  worshippers  have  bowed 
down  to  him. 

He  has  food  without  stint,  — several  baskets  full  of 
wheat,  rice,  and  melons  are  placed  before  him,  given  by 
devout  worshippers.  The  priests  will  clear  away  the 
table  after  Shiva  has  satisfied  his  appetite,  — - a happy 
expedient  for  providing  themselves  with  a donation  ! 

The  place  is  thronged  with  women,  not  worshipping 
Shiva  so  much  as  the  representations  of  Ling,  which  are 
numerous  around  the  court.  We  may  not  give  a descrip- 
tion in  these  pages  of  this  object  of  worship.  Some  in- 
ferences may  be  drawn  as  to  its  character  when  we  con- 
sider that  motherhood  is  the  great  desire  of  the  female  sex 
in  the  East.  It  is  as  strong  a passion  among  the  women 
of  India  to-day  as  it  was  among  the  mountains  of  Judaea 
a little  more  than  three  thousand  years  ago,  when  a child- 
less woman  bowed  before  the  ark  of  the  Lord  at  Shiloh, 
and  asked  for  a son. 

A few  steps  farther  along  a narrow  street,  thronged 
with  worshippers,  and  we  are  at  the  temple  of  Una 
Poorena.  It  is  larger  than  the  golden  pagoda,  less  costly, 
but  more  imposing. _ This  is  a favorite  shrine  with  the 
women.  The  idol  is  a female  figure,  with  four  arms. 


THE  BABOOS. 


181 


A curtain  hangs  before  it,  but  in  courtesy  to  us  Chris- 
tians it  is  drawn  aside  that  we  may  behold  the  counte- 
nance of  the  divinity.  Its  robes  are  like  those  of  a 
modern  Hindoo  lady  of  the  upper  class.  Its  head,  neck, 
and  arms  glitter  with  jewels  ; lamps  are  burning  in  front, 
and  the  crowd  of  devotees  are  casting  flowers  before  it, 
and  sprinkling  the  shrine  with  water  from  the  Ganges. 
Brahmans  reading  the  Vedas  are  seated  beneath  the  sur- 
rounding balconies,  with  basins  before  them,  into  which 
enraptured  pilgrims  toss  copper  coins  for  the  benefit  of 
•the  holy  men. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

THE  BABOOS. 

WEALTHY  baboos  congregate  at  Benares,  ttf  spend 
the  evening  of  life  in  a city  which  is  so  much 
nearer  heaven  than  any  other  in  India.  Many  of  them 
are  well  educated,  can  speak  English  fluently,  and  are  well 
informed  in  English  literature. 

While  standing  in  the  court  of  the  temple  just  de- 
scribed, we  hold  a conversation  with  a tall,  dignified  Hin- 
doo, who  informs  us  that  he  has  read  the  Bible  and 
knows  what  it  teaches,  but  he  has  made  sure  of  several 
hundred  thousand  years  of  life  in  paradise  by  the  good 
deeds  he  has  done  that  morning  ! 

He  contends  that  it  is  not  the  idol  that  he  worships, 
but  the  spirit  which  is  enshrined  in  the  image,  and  which 
pervades  the  universe.  This  is  the  belief  of  an  intelligent 
Hindoo,  but  the  mass  of  the  people  have  no  such  concep- 
tions and  make  no  such  distinctions.  They  believe  that 
the  deity  enters  the  idol  only  when  requested  by  the 


182 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Brahmans.  They  soon  weary  of  their  gods,  and  are  ever 
making  or  buying  new  ones.  Old  ones,  of  wood  and 
stone,  are  kicking  about  the  streets  in  all  states  of  di- 
lapidation. We  might  gather  second-hand  gods  by  the 
cart-load. 

A lecture  given  by  a native  who  has  discarded  idols, 
though  he  has  not  yet  embraced  Christianity,  contains 
the  following  paragraph  : — 

“ The  mothers  themselves  being  uneducated,  and  unac- 
quainted with  the  mode  of  infant  training,  naturally  leave 
their  children  in  the  hands  of  their  maid-servants,  whose 
iniquities,  immoralities,  and  excesses  defy  description,  and 
who,  as  a matter  of  course,  lay  in  those  children  a foun- 
dation of  all  that  is  bad  and  poisonous.  If  the  thus 
fledged  young  men  have  a city  like  Benares  for  their 
scene,  it  is  adding  fuel  to  the  fire.  Ill-starred  is  he  who 
has  his  children  in  this  holy  city  of  Benares,  where  there 
is  more  vice  and  crime  than  has  ever  been  named  by 
man.  1 

“ Our  ideas  of  godhead  are  confined  to  the  rooms  in 
which  we  worship  these  idols ; we  are  saints  so  long  as 
we  are  seated  near  these  idols  and  are  worshipping  them  ; 
but  the  moment  we  lose  sight  of  them,  we  are  the  most 
abandoned  profligates  and  sinners.  We  lie ; we  steal ; 
we  deceive ; we  commit  rape ; we  murder  all  day  long, 
and  all  night  long ; and  then  early  in  the  morning  we 
bathe  in  the  Ganges,  whose  filthy  waters  wash  away  our 
sins,  and  then  worship  our  idols,  who  pardon  us.  Pre- 
posterous and  absurd  ! There  cannot  be  a more  conceiv- 
able folly  than  this.  Purity  of  personal  character  is 
nothing  to  many  of  us  ; the  Ganges  and  our  idols  help  us 
to  heaven.”  * 

Stopping  at  an  idol  shop  as  we  pass  out  of  the  temple. 


* Lecture  before  Benares  Institute,  by  Laksh  Maji  Garu  in  1867. 


THE  BABOOS. 


183 


our  missionary  friend  asks  the  keeper  why  he  sells  these 
images.  “ I do  it  to  get  a living,”  is  the  reply.  He  has 
a great  variety,  hut  seeing  that  we  are  foreigners  he  wants 
to  speculate  a little.  For  a small  brass  Krishna,  with  the 
face  and  tail  of  a monkey,  he  asks  $ 1.25,  but  will  let  us 
have  Shiva  for  seventy-five  cents  ! At  the  suggestion  of 
our  conductor,  we  do  not  purchase,  but  leave  that  for  our 
landlord,  who  supplies  us  with  half  a dozen  at  the  price 
asked  for  the  monkey-god. 

Another  walk  brings  us  to  an  ancient  Hindoo  observa- 
tory, called  Man  Mundil.  It  is  not  known  certainly 
when  or  by  whom  it  was  erected,  but  it  is  supposed  to 
have  been  the  work  of  the  celebrated  Pay  all  Manu,  a 
patron  of  literature,  science,  and  art,  who  had  fifteen 
hundred  wives,  — beating  Solomon  and  Brigham  Young 
in  his  matrimonial  alliances.  He  had  about  two  hundred 
and  fifty  children.  Ascending  a flight  of  stairs  in  a large 
square  tower  we  gain  the  roof  of  an  old  stone  building, 
where  astronomical  instruments  are  found,  consisting  of 
a graduated  circle  fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  a zodiac,  me- 
ridian line,  sundial,  and  other  marks  and  lines  which  we 
cannot  comprehend  in  the  brief  time  allotted  to  our  visit. 
The  characters  on  stone  are  weather-worn  and  time- 
stained,  but  indicate  the  advancement  made  in  astronomy 
before  Galileo  pointed  his  little  telescope  to  the  skies. 
Centuries  before  that  astronomer,  rising  from  the  torture 
of  the  Inquisition,  uttered  his  thrilling  exclamation,  “ It 
moves  ! ” the  astronomers  of  India  had  calculated  the  pre- 
cession of  the  equinoxes  and  the  rotation  of  the  earth 
upon  its  axes. 

From  the  observatory  we  walk  through  the  streets  to 
the  shop  of  a silk-merchant,  who  received  a gold  medal 
at  the  Paris  Exhibition  for  the  excellence  of  his  fabrics. 
We  enter  the  establishment  through  a low  doorway, 
ascend  a narrow  flight  of  stairs,  and  are  ushered  into  a 


184 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


large  room,  where  we  are  courteously  received  by  the  son 
of  the  proprietor,  who  seats  us  upon  a divan,  makes  a 
profound  salaam,  and  spreads  before  our  wondering  eyes 
fabrics  of  silk  interwoven  with  the  finest  threads  of  silver 
and  gold,  wrought  with  stars,  spangles,  and  flowers  of  the 
most  delicate  workmanship.  The  sight  of  them  brings 
to  mind  Macaulay’s  glowing  description  of  Benares,  and 
its  “ silks,  which  went  forth  from  the  looms  of  this  city  to 
adorn  the  halls  at  St.  James  and  Versailles.” 

The  sun  is  pouring  down  its  fiercest  rays,  and  we 
hasten  to  our  hotel.  It  is  pleasant  to  hear  the  prattle  of 
children’s  voices  in  the  Orphans’  School,  issuing  from  the 
open  windows  as  we  pass  the  school-house,  which  stands 
on  the  spot  where  many  a Hindoo  has  lost  his  life  at 
the  hands  of  the  Thugs,  who  threw  the  bodies  of  their 
victims  into  a deep  well,  which  still  remains  in  the  en- 
closure. Lying  on  a mattress  in  our  darkened  room,  the 
punka  fanning  us  and  cooling  our  blood,  which  has  been 
sent  up  to  fever  heat  by  the  exercise  of  the  morning,  we 
review  the  changes  which  have  taken  place  in  India  dur- 
ing the  century. 

While  our  own  country  has  been  making  unparalleled 
progress,  India  has  been  rising  from  her  degradation,  not 
by  her  own  efforts,  but  through  intercourse  with  Chris- 
tian nations  ; although  the  dealings  of  the  English  with 
India  have  been  anything  but  Christian.  We  have  only 
to  read  the  arraignment  of  Warren  Hastings  by  Burke, 
or  the  review  of  his  trial  by  Macaulay,  to  get  a glimpse 
of  the  tyranny  and  rapacity  of  the  East  India  Company 
and  its  servants.  Perhaps  it  is  well  for  the  world  that 
the  full  record  of  crime  is  never  made  public  ; if  it  were, 
the  administration  of  the  English  in  India  would  be  one 
of  the  darkest  pages  of  modern  history.  Yet  it  is  morally 
certain  that  if  England,  or  some  other  Western  power,  had 
not  stepped  in  and  taken  possession  of  this  country,  it 


THE  BABOOS. 


185 


would  have  been  a chaos  instead  of  an  empire  under  a 
strong  and  qpergetic  government.  There  was  not  vitality 
enough  in  the  Hindoo  people  to  emerge  from  the  dark- 
ness of  superstition  which  enveloped  them.  There 
never  was  any  patriotism  in  the  people  of  this  country. 

“ Rich  as  the  Sanscrit  is,”  says  Baboo  Chunder,  the 
learned  Hindoo  traveller,  “ the  vocabulary  of  the  Brah- 
mans has  no  word  for  patriotism.  The  range  of  Sanscrit 
poetical  literature  extends  from  the  simplest  fable  to  the 
loftiest  epic.  But  in  the  whole  compass  of  that  literature 
there  is  not  one  spirit-stirring  war-song  like  Burns’s 
‘ Bannockburn  ’ or  Campbell’s  ‘ Battle  of  the  Baltic.’  The 
Hindoos  may  have  produced  the  first  lawgiver  in  the 
world,  but  in  their  political  jurisprudence  there  is  not  the 
slightest  exposition  of  the  principles  on  which  are  based 
the  Magna  Cliarta  of  Right  and  the  Habeas  Corpus  Act. 
The  Upanisliads  and  Dursanas  have,  indeed,  received  the 
favorable  verdict  of  the  most  competent  judges  ; but  no- 
where in  their  philosophy  do  the  Brahmans  inculcate  the 
sentiment,  ‘ better  death  than  slavery.’  In  their  history 
is  found  no  one  instance  of  political  martyrdom,  like 
Cato  or  Sidney.  Of  what  good,  then,  will  the  Sanscrit 
be  to  help  India  in  her  social  reform,  in  her  political 
aspirations,  in  her  efforts  to  keep  pace  with  the  nations 
of  Europe?  The  Sanscrit  may  improve  the  head,  but 
will  not  purify  the  mind  or  purify  the  heart.  The  effects 
of  the  Sanscrit  are  best  visible  in  a modern  pundit,  who 
is  good  only  for  wrangling  and  quoting  ancient  texts,  but 
not  for  originating  a new  institution,  or  embarking  in  a 

new  project  for  national  progress The  Sanscrit 

belongs  to  the  age  of  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  of  travelling 
in  caravans : the  English  belongs  to  the  age  of  Arm- 
strongs, railways,  and  electric  telegraphs.” 

Unchristian  as  the  dealings  of  England  have  been,  yet 
she  has  laid  the  foundations  of  a new  empire  in  the  East, 


186 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


which  is  developing  with  wonderful  rapidity.  “What 
shall  we  do  with  it  ? ” is  a question  which  erelong  will 
demand  the  consideration  of  British  statesmen.  The  pres- 
ent style  of  arrogance  and  assumption  will  not  always 
he  tolerated.  An  Englishman  expects  every  Hindoo  to 
make  a respectful  salaam  as  he  passes.  We  have  been 
astonished  to  see  everybody  bowing  to  us  on  the  streets, 
but  upon  inquiry  find  that  such  homage  is  exacted  by 
the  English.  A rich  native  merchant  from  Calcutta 
narrowly  escaped  a horsewhipping  lately,  because  he  did 
not  stop  his  carriage  and  make  obeisance  to  an  officer 
of  the  army  who  was  riding  along  the  same  road.  Men 
whose  names  are  good  at  the  counters  of  the  Bank  of 
England  for  millions  of  dollars,  who  are  learned  in  a 
half-dozen  languages,  who  can  read  the  Big  Veda,  or 
Shakespeare,  Bacine,  Humboldt,  Cicero,  and  Homer  in 
the  original,  must  take  the  wall,  and  bow  in  humble 
suppliance  to  the  merest  stripling  of  an  ensign  with 
epaulets  on  his  shoulders ! It  will  not  always  be  so. 
Seventy  thousand  Englishmen  in  the  country  will  not 
forever  administer  law'  to  one  hundred  and  eighty  mil- 
lions of  people.  Christian  civilization  will  infuse  new 
blood  into  these  ancient  Aryans.  The  time  is  not  far  dis- 
tant when  natives  will  have  a voice  in  the  government. 
With  each  year  there  will  be  modifications  in  the  laws 
to  suit  the  advancing  wants  of  the  people.  Since  the 
East  India  Company  has  passed  away  the  laws  have 
been  more  justly  administered.  Officials  can  no  longer 
plunder  as  before,  but  are  held  by  the  home  government 
to  strict  accountability.  But  though  wrong  has  been 
done  by  unscrupulous  men  in  power,  yet  no  one  in  read- 
ing the  history  of  India  can  come  to  any  other  con- 
clusion than  this,  that  through  all  the  past  the  country 
never  has  been  so  well  governed  as  at  the  present  time. 

Our  reflections  are  interrupted  by  the  beating  of  a 


THE  BABOOS. 


187 


drum  under  our  windows,  and  looldng  out  we  behold  two 
natives  making  low  salaams.  They  are  snake-charmers. 
The  tallest,  a fellow  Avith  thin  cheeks  and  sparkling  eyes, 
has  a boa-constrictor,  almost  ten  feet  in  length,  coiled 
around  his  neck.  The  head  of  the  boa  appears  above 
that  of  the  charmer,  and  his  snakeship  looks  at  us  with 
flashing  eyes,  squirming,  twisting  into  the  shape  of  a 
corkscreAV,  unwinding  himself  slowly,  and  sliding  to  the 
ground.  Upon  each  arm  is  coiled  a snake  of  a different 
species,  — one  of  a greenish  hue,  which  glides  to  the 
ground,  Avriggles  between  the  man’s  legs,  and  advances  to 
make  our  acquaintance,  but  turns  back  again  at  the  voice 
of  his  master,  who  puts  doAvn  an  earthen  jar,  from  which 
two  cobras  raise  their  hooded  heads  and  hiss  at  us.  At 
a whisper  they  creep  out  of  the  vessel,  wind  themselves 
up  in  coils,  quicker  than  any  old  salt  could  lay  up  a 
rope,  and  work  themselves  into  a fierce  rage  under  the 
tormentings  of  the  showman.  The  other  native  has  an 
earthen  vessel  full  of  scorpions.  He  takes  them  up  as 
fearlessly  as  a crab-catcher  or  lobsterman  the  spoil  taken 
in  their  nets.  They  cling  to  his  fingers  and  creep  over 
his  arms.  He  hangs  them  on  his  ears,  plays  all  sorts  of 
pranks  with  them.  They  are  as  tractable  as  trained  mice. 

It  is  not  a pleasing  sight,  and  Ave  care  not  for  its  repeti- 
tion. We  toss  the  charmers  a feAV  annas ; they  make 
low  obeisances,  gather  up  their  scorpions,  Avind  up  their 
snakes  and  disappear. 

A short  Avalk  from  our  hotel  brings  us  to  the  Barana 
River,  and  crossing  it  to  the  northern  bank  we  are  upon 
the  site  of  the  ancient  city  of  Sarnath.  Quite  likely  many 
who  read  these  lines  never  before  heard  that  such  a city 
ever  existed,  but  here  it  stood.  Though  its  Avails,  its 
palaces,  its  convents  and  schools  haA’-e  disappeared,  the 
world  still  feels  its  poAver.  It  may  be  questioned  wheth- 
er Memphis,  Babylon,  Nineveh,  Athens,  or  Rome  have 


188 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


sent  forth  influences  affecting  the  welfare  of  the  human 
race  that  have  been  so  widespread  as  those  emanating 
from  this  city,  nothing  of  which  remains  except  here  and 
there  a crumbling  ruin. 

Somewhere  near  the  time  when  Esther  was  queen  of 
Persia,  and  Mordecai  prime  minister  of  that  realm,  a 
prince  named  Gautama,  who  lived  in  Nepaul,  at  the  foot 
of  the  Himalaya  Mountains,  became  tired  of  the  vani- 
ties of  the  world,  and  determined  to  live  a life  of  strict 
seclusion.  His  father  opposed  it,  but  the  young  man  left 
his  wife  and  family,  eluded  the  vigilance  of  the  guards 
whieh  had  been  placed  over  him,  and  in  the  darkness 
of  night  fled  t'o  an  old  Brahman.  He  studied  under 
various  teachers,  passing  from  this  to  that  sect,  but  only 
to  be  dissatisfied  with  them  all.  He  rejected  the  Brah- 
manical  religion,  and  established  one  of  his  own,  teach- 
ing it  here  at  Sarnath.  It  was  a system  of  religion  an- 
tagonistic to  that  taught  by  the  Brahmans.  He  would 
have  no  caste,  no  sacrifice  of  blood  : there  should  be 
no  destruction  of  animal  life.  Man  did  not  give  life  : 
he  had  no  right  to  take  it.  Mosquitoes  .might  bite,  bees 
sting,  parasites  swarm,  pests  innumerable  multiply : they 
must  be  borne.  He  taught  strict  morality.  To  get  rid 
of  sin,  all  natural  affections  must  be  subdued ; and  holi- 
ness could  only  be  secured  by  taking  the  monastic  vow, 
and  living  retired  from  the  world.  The  new  religion 
gained  adherents.  The  people  were  weary  of  their  priests. 
Thousands  flocked  to  the  sage,  who  taught  the  new  way 
of  life  beneath  the  shady  groves  along  the  banks  of  the 
Barana.  Benares,  the  holy  city  of  the  Brahmans,  was 
near  by,  and  here  the  old  theologies  were  discussed  with 
intensest  bitterness.  Hot  only  here,  but  in  other  places, 
Gautama  taught  his  doctrines,  and  at  his  death  his  teeth 
and  bones  were  distributed  throughout  India  as  holy 
relics.  For  more  than  one  thousand  years  the  religion 


THE  BABOOS. 


189 


taught  by  Gautama  Buddha  was  in  the  ascendant.  Count- 
less millions  embraced  it.  It  was  the  prevailing  relig- 
ion of  India  in  the  time  of  Christ.  When  the  fame  of 
the  Christian  religion,  at  the  close  of  the  first  century, 
had  reached  China,  the  Emperor  Ming-ti  sent  commis- 
sioners to  the  West  to  ascertain  its  merits.  They  came  to 
Sarnath,  and  supposing  that  they  had  found  that  which 
they  were  searching  for,  carried  the  religion  of  Gautama 
to  their  native  land. 

The  Brahmans  were  too  powerful  to  be  put  down  by 
the  new  religion.  Theirs  was  aggressive.  They  lighted 
the  torch  of  civil  war.  The  great  city  of  Sarnath,  with 
its  temples,  its  colleges,  and  its  hospitals  for  pigs,  mon- 
keys, chickens,  donkeys,  rats,  and  mice,  was  swept  out  of 
existence.  In  the  eleventh  century  a rajah  came  into 
power  in  this  section  of  India  who  was  a strong  believer 
in  the  old  religion,  and  the  Brahmans  determined  to  em- 
brace the  opportunity  to  revive  their  ancient  faith.  Be- 
nares, on  the  south  side  of  the  Barana,  was  the  centre  of 
the  old  orthodoxy,  while  Sarnath,  on  the  north  bank,  was 
the  chief  city  of*  the  Buddhists.  Taking  arms  suddenly, 
the  Brahmanical  party  attacked  their  neighbors  with  fire 
and  sword,  applied  the  torch  to  every  building,  slaugh- 
tered the  surprised,  frightened,  unresisting  multitude,  and 
wiped  the  plague-spot  from  the  face  of  the  earth.  From 
Sarnath  the  war  extended  to  other  Buddhist  cities.  The 
persecution  was  fierce.  Temples  were  destroyed,  idols 
broken,  convents  given  to  the  flames,  priests  killed,  and 
the  land  purged  of  the  heresy.  Nothing  is  left,  except 
here  and  there  a mound,  to  tell  where  Sarnath  stood. 
When  the  present  bridge  was  erected  over  the  Barana,  the 
ruins  of  the  old  city  served  for  foundations  to  the  piers  ; 
and  tons  of  idols,  worshipped  through  those  distant  years, 
are  beneath  our  feet  as  we  stand  upon  the  structure  and 
gaze  upon  the  site  of  the  ancient  city. 


190 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

DOWN  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  GANGES. 

BENGAL  occupies  the  Lower  Ganges  country.  In 
going  southward  from  Benares  we  come  upon  a 
population  vastly  different  frpm  that  of  Central  and 
Northern  India.  In  form  and  feature,  in  moral  and 
intellectual  qualities,  the  Hindoos  are  superior  to  the 
Bengalese.  Macaulay  has  given  in  strong  colors  a pic- 
ture of  a native  of  Bengal : — 

“ The  physical  organization  of  the  Bengalee  is  feeble 
even  to  effeminacy.  He  lives  in  a constant  vapor-bath. 
His  pursuits  are  sedentary,  his  limbs  delicate,  his  move- 
ments languid.  During  many  years  he  has  been  tram- 
pled upon  by  men  of  bolder  and  more  hardy  breeds. 
Courage,  independence,  veracity,  are  qualities  to  which 
his  constitution  and  his  situation  are  equally  unfavorable. 
His  mind  bears  a singular  analogy  to  his  body.  It  is 
weak  even  to  helplessness  for  purposes  of  manly  resist- 
ance ; but  its  suppleness  and  its  tact  move  the  children  of 
sterner  climates  to  admiration,  not  unmingled  with  con- 
tempt. All  those  arts  which  are  the  natural  defence  of  the 
weak  are  more  familiar  with  this  subtle  race  than  to 
the  Ionian  of  the  times  of  Juvenal,  or  to  the  Jew  of  the 
Dark  Ages.  What  the  horns  are  to  the  buffalo,  what  the 
paw  is  to  the  tiger,  what  the  sting  is  to  the  bee,  what 
beauty,  according  to  the  old  Greek  song,  is  to  woman, 
deceit  is  to  the  Bengalee.  Large  promises,  smooth  ex- 
cuses, elaborate  tissues  of  circumstantial  falsehood,  chica- 
nery, perjury,  forgery,  are  the  weapons,  offensive  and  de- 
fensive, of  the  people  of  the  Lower  Ganges.  All  those 


DOWN  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  GANGES. 


191 


millions  do  not  furnish  one  sepoy  to  the  armies  of  the 
company.  But  as  usurers,  money-changers,  or  sharp  legal 
practitioners,  no  class  of  human  beings  can  bear  any  com- 
parison with  them.” 

The  Bengalese  occupy  the  valley,  but  the  hills  which 
rise  on  our  right  as  we  travel  southeast  are  inhabited 
by  an  entirely  different  people,  the  Santhals.  They  are 
descendants  of  the  hill  tribes,  which  lived  in  the  coun- 
try when  the  Aryans  came  down  from  the  region  of  the 
Caspian  and  settled  in  the  valley  of  the  Indus.  Physi- 
cally, morally,  and  socially  they  are  unlike  the  Bengalese 
and  Hindoos.  Their  religion,  though  it  has  been  in- 
fluenced by  contact  with  Brahmanism  and  Buddhism, 
has  not  been  affected  by  that  of  Mahomet. 

Baboo  Chunder  has  pictured  the  Santhal  in  colors  al- 
most as  brilliant  as  those  with  which  the  master-hand  of 
the  great  English  essayist  has  those  of  the  Bengalese. 

“Naked,  snake-eating,  and  unlettered  as  he  is,  the 
Santhal  has  a code  of  honor  and  morality.  He  is  dis- 
tinguished for  nothing  so  much  as  his  truthfulness.  The 
civilized  man  hates  lying,  but  the  pure-minded  and 
straightforward  Santhal  knows  no  lying.  He  is  no 
more  truth-loving  than  he  is  inoffensive,  grateful,  and 
hospitable.  The  virtues  of  the  untaught  savage  are  feAv 
but  genuine.  His  religion  is  pure  and  unsophisticated. 
No  atheistical  doubts  ever  come  across  his  mind.  He 
professes  no  doctrinal  creed.  His  faith,  founded  on  the 
monitions  of  conscience,  is  as  unostentatious  and  sincere 
as  is  the  faith  of  a child  in  his  Creator.” 

The  Santhal  women  do  not  veil  their  faces,  but  are 
quite  as  fond  of  jewelry  as  their  neighbors  the  Hindoos 
and  Bengalese.  An  English  officer  once  weighed  the 
ornaments  worn  by  a Santhal  belle ; she  had  thirty-four 
pounds  of  bracelets,  anklets,  bangles,  rings,  and  chains 
about  her  person.  Almost  every  woman  in  comfortable 


192 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


circumstances  carries  at  least  twelve  pounds  of  orna- 
ments. 

Like  all  aboriginal  races,  the  Santhals  deteriorate  when 
brought  into  intercourse  with  Europeans.  They  copy  the 
vices,  but  not  the  virtues,  of  modern  civilization. 

We  pass  Moorshedabad,  not  much  of  a place  at  the 
present  time,  but  half  a century  ago  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant towns  in  the  valley  of  the  Ganges.  It  was  the 
capital  of  the  Mohammedan  rajahs.  Here  stood  the  mag- 
nificent palace  of  Suraja  Dowla,  whose  name  is  closely 
interwoven  with  the  history  of  India  by  his  atrocious 
treatment  of  his  own  people,  as  well  as  by  the  horrors 
of  the  Black-Hole  of  Calcutta,  which  the  eloquence  of 
Burke  and  the  rhetoric  of  Macaulay  have  so  vividly 
painted.  Cruelty  was  a pleasure  to  him.  He  delighted 
to  see  a boat  filled  with  men  and  women  overturned  in 
the  Ganges.  The  dying  struggles  of  the  drowning  was 
pleasing  to  his  eyes,  their  shrieks  for  help  the  sweetest 
music  to  his  ears  ! It  was  equally  a pleasure  to  walk 
through  the  streets  with  a drawn  sword,  splitting  open 
the  heads  of  those  who  did  not  render  him  sufficient  hom- 
age. Not  daring  to  trust  himself  to  a guard  of  his  own 
sex,  he  filled  his  palace  with  Amazons  from  Tartary  and 
Abyssinia. 

He  scraped  the  wealth  of  Bengal  into  his  coffers.  It 
was  in  this  palace  that  Clive  stood  amazed  amid  the  glit- 
tering heaps  of  gold  and  silver,  diamonds  and  precious 
stones.  He  took  forty  million  dollars  for  the  East  India 
Company,  and  between  one  and  two  millions  for  himself, 
and  afterwards  expressed  astonishment  at  his  moderation  ! 

It  was  here,  too,  that  another  Mohammedan  ruler, 
Cooley  Khan,  took  vengeance  on  tenants  who  did  not 
pay  their  rent  by  putting  live  cats  into  their  breeches  ! 

The  railway  from  Benares  to  Patna,  following  the  bank 
of  the  Ganges,  runs  due  east  one  hundred  and  thirty-one 


DOWN  THE  VALLEY  OF  THE  GANGES. 


193 


miles  through  the  opium  district.  When  the  poppies  are 
in  full  bloom,  travelling  by  rail  in  the  Patna  district  is 
like  riding  through  a flower-garden.  The  warehouses 
where  the  opium  is  stored  are  at  Bankipore,  six  miles 
from  Patna.  The  cultivation  of  the  poppy  and  sale  of 
the  drug  is  wholly  in  the  hands  of 'the  government,  which 
derives  one  twelfth  of  its  revenue  from  the  traffic. 

We  are  on  an  express-train,  which  stops  only  for  wood 
and  water,  and  at  the  principal  stations.  As  we  are 
whirled  along  we  look  eastward  towards  the  field  of  Plas- 
sey,  which  has  been  classed  as  one  of  the  turning-points 
in  the  world’s  history.  The  battle,  which  was  only  a 
smart  skirmish,  took  place  in  1756.  Clive  halted  the 
morning  before  at  the  town  of  Cutwa,  and  it  is  there, 
rather  than  at  Plassey,  that  the  turning-point  should  be 
fixed.  He  had  but  a handful  of  men,  — three  thousand 
in  all,  — and  of  these  only  one  thousand  were  English. 
Suraja  Dowla  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  with 
forty  thousand  infantry,  'fifty  pieces  of  heavy  artillery, 
drawn  by  oxen  and  elephants,  and  fifteen  thousand  cav- 
alry. Should  he  fight  or  retreat  ? Clive  called  a council 
of  his  officers ; the  majority  decided  not  to  fight,  and  he 
gave  his  own  vote  against  moving  on.  The  officers  went 
to  their  quarters,  while  Clive  walked  out,  sat  down  in  a 
grove  and  reflected  an  hour.  Within  those  sixty  minutes 
lay  the  future  of  India,  — the  prestige  and  power  of  the 
British  nation,  the  welfare  of  nearly  two  hundred  millions 
of  the  human  race.  His  dauntless  spirit,  which  for  a 
moment  had  quailed  before  the  tremendous  responsibility, 
asserted  its  supremacy  once  more.  His  decision  not  to 
fight  was  reversed,  and  he  returned  to  his  tent  with  proud 
step  and  determined  purpose.  The  little  army  crossed 
the  river  ; the  Thirty -ninth  Eegiment,  its  soul  and  centre, 
fought  the  battle,  won  the  victory.  The  magnificent  do- 
main of  India,  — a grand  empire,  — a vast  and  valuable 

9 M 


194 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


appendage  to  the  British  crown,  the  advancement  of  civ- 
ilization and  Christianity  throughout  the  benighted  re- 
gion, every  hope  of  the  present,’  all  the  possibilities  of 
the  future,  hung  on  the  decision  of  that  one  controlling 
mind ! 

“ If  I had  taken  the  advice  of  the  council,”  said  Clive, 
“ the  British  would  never  have  been  masters  of  Bengal.” 

During  our  ride  of  more  than  five  hundred  miles  we 
have  opportunities  of  seeing  the  contempt  with  which 
the  Hindoos  sometimes  regard  a drunken  Englishman. 
In  the  compartment  adjoining  our  own  one  of  the  lordly 
race  attracts  attention  by  drinking  brandy,  abusing  the 
native  attendants,  staggering  in  and  out  of  the  carriage 
at  the  stations,  and  cursing  all  around  him. 

At  the  stopping-places  are  natives  in  uniform  whose 
duty  it  is  to  see  that  the  passengers  are  all  aboard  before 
the  train  starts.  It  requires  a good 'deal  of  gentle  per- 
suasion on  their  part  to  get  him  into  his  compartment. 
Any  use  of  force  would  subject  them  to  kicks  and  blows 
from  this  rum-crazed  Briton.  We  can  see  their  lips  curl 
with  scorn  as  they  close  the  carriage  door,  and  turn  the 
key  in  the  lock.  Is  it  strange  that  the  “ heathen  ” are 
slow  to  accept  the  teachings  of  missionaries  sent  out  by 
England  to  convert  them  to  Christianity  ? This  besotted 
representative  of  Western  civilization,  after  stretching 
himself  upon  the  seat  in  the  carriage,  tumbles  headlong 
upon  the  floor,  makes  two  or  three  ineffectual  attempts  to 
get  up,  mumbles  a curse,  drops  off  to  sleep,  and  snores  all 
the  way  from  Burdwan  to  Calcutta. 


QUR  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  CALCUTTA. 


195 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

OUR  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  CALCUTTA. 

HE  sun  is  setting  when  the  train  enters  the  sta- 


tion, opposite  the  city  of  Calcutta.  A glance  at 
the  freight-house  as  we  pass  along  the  platform  reveals 
immense  piles  of  cotton,  in  hales,  waiting  shipment  to 
England,  and  pyramids  of  freight  ready  for  transportation 
to  the  interior.  Vessels  are  at  anchor  in  the  Hoogly, 
discharging  or  taking  in  cargoes ; steam-tugs  are  breast- 
ing the  current  with  newly  arrived  ships  in  tow;  take 
it  all  in  all,  it  is  a lively  spectacle. 

A steam  ferry  plies  between  the  railway  station  and 
the  city,  which  is  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river.  Shi- 
grams  are  at  the  landing,  the  coachmen  wearing  immense 
turbans,  and  as  wide-awake  for  passengers  as  liackmen 
in  American  cities. 

While  at  Allahabad,  we  made  the  acquaintance  of  Miss 
Britton  of  New  York,  in  charge  of  the  American  Mission 
Home  in  Calcutta,  and  whose  pleasant  company  has  be- 
guiled the  hours  of  our  passage  hither.  The  kindest  hos- 
pitality awaits  us. 

A bath  is  the  first  necessity.  How  delicious  to  stand 
in  the  great  earthen  basin  up  to  our  knees  in  water, 
dashing  it  over  us  by  the  bucketful ! But  our  pleasure 
has  a sudden  interruption.  While  in  the  ecstasy  of  enjoy- 
ment the  bath-tub  breaks  asunder,  the  little  sea  of  water 
is  let  loose,  the  premises  overflowed,  and  there  is  a 


“ Wreck  of  matter  and  crush  of  worlds  ” 

as  we  come  down  upon  the  broken  pottery ! 
Mem.  — Don’t  use  earthen  bath-tubs. 


196 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


We  hear  the  blaring  of  trumpets,  beating  of  drums, 
crashing  of  gongs,  squeaking  of  flageolets,  and  scraping  of 
violins  in  the  street.  Stepping  out  upon  the  veranda,  we 
witness  an  approaching  wedding  procession.  Colored 


WEDDING  PROCESSION. 


lights  flare  in  the  darkness  and  illume  the  surrounding 
scenery.  Following  the  torch-hearers  are  the  musicians, 
the  trumpeters  blowing  their  loudest  blasts,  the  gongs 
and  drums  thundering  a deafening  din,  while  no  cater- 
wauling can  surpass  the  screeching  of  flageolets  and 
violins. 

The  bridegroom  is  rich.  His  marriage  is  the  great 
event  of  life,  and  he  makes  it  a magnificent  affair.  His 
friends  ride  in  a triumphal  car  in  the  shape  of  a peacock, 
the  sacred  bird  of  India,  the  favorite  of  the  gods.  It  is 
drawn  by  milk-white  oxen,  such  as  in  ancient  times  were 


OUR  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  CALCUTTA. 


197 


sacrificed  to  Indra.  The  young  men  within  the  chariot 
wear  costly  robes,  ornaments  of  gold,  diamonds,  and  pre- 
cious stones.  They  carry  flags  and  banners,  and  toss 
bonbons  to  the  admiring  crowd. 

Following  the  car  are  boys  in  crimson  tunics  and 
gold-banded  turbans,  walking  beneath  purple  canopies. 
A company  of  men  bear  a platform  on  their  shoulders, 
upon  which  the  bridegroom  is  seated  in  a golden  chair. 
Two  pages  stand  by  his  side.  A gorgeous  pagoda,  its 
golden  roof  spangled  with  silver  stars,  shelters  him  from 
the  evening  air.  His  robe  and  turban  are  of  cloth-of- 
gold.  An  embroidered  mantle  of  finest  silk  is  flung  over 
his  shoulders  ; a crimson  sash,  a massive  gold  chain,  and 
a necklace  of  pearls  adorn  his  person. 

He  is  on  his  way  to  the  house  of  his  bride,  whom  he 
has  never  seen.  She  is  only  eleven  or  twelve  years  old, 
— a child  who  knows  nothing  of  life,  and  who  has  no 
acquaintance  with  the  world.  Her  conception  of  its 
magnitude  is  limited  to  the  little  she  has  seen  in  Cal- 
cutta, or  what  she  may  have  ’learned  from  her  few  ac- 
quaintances. When  the  feasting  at  her  father’s  is  ended 
she  -will  go  to  the  house  of  her  husband,  and  the  world 
will  hardly  know  of  her  existence  from  that  hour  till 
her  body  is  borne  to  the  river-side,  covered  with  blazing 
fagots,  and  her  ashes  cast  upon  the  tide. 

The  work  which  the  American  and  English  women  of 
the  Mission  Home  have  undertaken  to  do  is  the  eleva- 
tion of  their  sex  in  India.  They  have  left  friends  and  all 
that  is  dear  to  raise  the  degraded  by  planting  the  cross  in 
this  heathen  land. 

“ Missionaries  are  humbugs,”  said  a red-faced,  beef-eat- 
ing  surgeon  of  the  Indian  army  on  board  the  steamer  from 
Suez  ; “ India  would  be  much  better  off  without  them.” 

“ The  missionaries  have  not  accomplished  much ; the 
money  sent  out  for  their  support  is  all  thrown  away,” 


198 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


said  another  surgeon,  for  there  were  several  among  the 
passengers. 

“ There  are  some  very  fine  men  and  women  among 
them,”  said  the  captain  of  the  steamer,  “ and  they  have 
done  a great  deal  of  good.” 

Facts  and  figures  are  better  than  opinions  and  preju- 
dices. The  census  returns  give  the  number  of  native 
Christians  connected  with  Protestant  churches  in  India 
and  Burmah  at  about  two  hundred  thousand,  — the  re- 
sult of  missionary  effort.  That  is  only  one  feature,  for  it 
does  not  give  the  great  number  of  children  acquiring  an 
education  in  missionary  schools,  which  are  acknowledged 
to  be  far  superior  to  those  established  by  the  government. 
No  census  can  give  the  facts  in  regard  to  the  moral  in- 
fluence which  lias  gone  out  from  these  schools,  but  it  is 
so  great  that  army  officers  cannot  now,  as  in  former  times, 
have  Nautch -girls  to  dance  for  them,  except  in  those  dis- 
tricts wdiere  there  are  no  missionaries. 

The  time  was  when  there  were  no  European  women  in 
India,  and  officers  and  soldiers,  from  Lord  Clive  down  to 
the  buglers  of  the  regiments,  had  native  mistresses.  All 
Englishmen  were  Christians  in  the  estimation  of  Hindoos  ; 
they  were  beef-eaters  ; drank  strong  drink,  and  a great 
deal  of  it.  . Beef-eating  is  an  abomination  to  the  worship- 
pers of  sacred  bulls  ; and,  according  to  the  Shasters,  hard 
drinkers  will  find  it  difficult  to  enter  paradise.  Hindoo 
artists  pictured  a Christian  as  an  Englishman  seated  at  a 
table  eating  roast-beef  and  drinking  brandy,  or  with  a 
Nautch-girl  on  his  knees. 

The  missionaries  came  upon  the  moral  battle-field  op- 
posed by  idolatry,  ignorance,  degradation,  hatred  of  the 
English  name,  and  these  false,  distorted  notions  of  Chris- 
tianity on  the  part  of  the  natives  ; also  the  hostility  of  a 
large  portion  of  the  English  army,  rank  and  file,  especially 
the  rank.  But  there  were  some  godly  men  in  the  army, 
and  all  honor  to  them  for  their  example  and  influence. 


OUR  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  CALCUTTA. 


199 


One  of  the  most  painful  contrasts  which  forces  itself 
upon  us  is  that  between  the  condition  of  woman  in 
America  and  India.  Caste  here  holds  them  in  its  un- 
relenting grasp  with  all  the  concentrated  despotism  of 
the  ages.  Woman  cannot  rise.  The  immobility  of  the 
Hindoos,  their  slowness  to  feel  the  tides  of  time,  to  be 
moved  by  the  mighty  pulsations  of  this  century,  though 
in  contact  with  the  progressive  spirit  of  the  times,  is 
comprehended  in  this  one  sentence : “ As  our  fathers  did, 
so  do  we.” 

To  comprehend  the  condition  of  the  highest  classes  of 
Hindoo  women,  look  for  a moment  at  native  society,  — 
to  the  baboos,  or  wealthy  princes  and  merchants,  men 
worth  from  S 100,000  to  $ 1,000,000.  They  speak 
English  as  well  as  Bengali  and  Hindustani.  We  find 
many  of  the  new  books  published  in  England  in  their 
houses.  Opening  the  daily  papers  of  Calcutta,  we  read 
that  Baboo  Jodoonath  Ghose  is  to  give  a lecture  on  the 
wants  of  India,  or  that  Baboo  Dooga  Chuen  Law  offers  to 
give  8 25,000  to  the  Hoogly  College  to  found  scholar- 
ships, the  nominations  to  remain  in  the  hands  of  himself 
and  his  descendants.  The  baboos  are  exceedingly  anxious 
to  have  their  sons  educated,  not  in  Bengali  alone,  but  in 
English. 

Upon  their  book-shelves  such  works  as  Beeton’s  Uni- 
versal Knowledge,  Euclid,  Algebra,  and  Blackstone,  Se- 
lections from  the  British  poets,  Cowper’s  Poems,  and 
Webster’s  Unabridged  Dictionary  may  be  found,  besides 
newspapers  and  magazines. 

Education  has  made  great  progress  among  the  natives. 
There  are  several  newspapers  published  in  Bengali,  which 
discuss  the  questions  of  the  day  with  ability,  — with  as 
much  vigor  of  thought  as  their  English  contemporaries. 
The  Dacca  ProJcash  in  a recent  number  objects  to  the 
plan  of  establishing  a University  for  Bengali  vernacular. 


200 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


because  suitable  books  cannot  be  obtained,  tbe  native  can- 
not acquire  a superior  education  in  an  institution  where 
English  is  not  taught,  and  because  tbe  natives  preferred 
to  study  Enghsh. 

The  discussion  of  Engbsh  pobtics  is  intebigent  and 
creditable.  We  might  make  this  plain  by  quotations 
from  the  Bigyapunee  and  also  the  Grambarta.  These 
papers  are  published  in  the  Bengab  language.  In  Hin- 
dustani there  is  the  Ukbar  Alun.  A recent  number  has 
an  exceUent  editorial  on  the  advantages  of  travebing, 
showing  that  the  Hindoos  stay  at  home  in  the  women’s 
apartments  when  they  ought  to  be  abroad  informing  their 
minds  by  seeing  the  world.  Men  who  have  thus  moved 
up  are  beginning  to  feel  that  they  stand  alone.  Then 
wives  are  where  the  women  of  India  have  been  ever  since 
the  jolly  god  Krishna  broke  the  hearts  of  the  milkmaids, 
and  turned  the  whole  female  sex  to  himself. 

To  comprehend  domestic  life  among  the  Hindoos,  let 
us  take  a look  at  one  of  their  homes.  The  family  is  pa- 
triarchal. The  father  is  the  head ; his  sons,  one  after 
another,  marry  and  bring  home  their  wives.  The  women 
of  the  household  mingle  freely  together,  but  the  brothers 
never  see  each  other’s  wives.  Six  or  eight  famibes,  and 
three  or  four  generations,  are  sometimes  gathered  under 
one  roof.  When  the  house  becomes  thus  over-populous, 
the  patriarch  of  the  household  has  quite  as  much  as  he 
can  attend  to  in  settbng  family  disputes.  Think  of  the 
bfe  of  these  women.  They  are  ignorant ; they  know  not 
a letter  of  their  language.  Why  should  a woman  learn 
to  read  ? What  good  would  come  of  it  ? They  cannot 
go  upon  the  street.  If  they  visit  a neighbor,  it  must  be 
in  a close  palankeen,  their  faces  veiled.  They  know  noth- 
ing except  family  gossip.  They  cannot  do  the  plainest 
sewing.  The  little  tow-head  on  the  lowest  seat  of  an 
infant  school  in  America,  sewing  patchwork,  can  use  the 


OUE  FIKST  NIGHT  IN  CALCUTTA. 


201 


needle  more  deftly  than  most  of  the  wives  of  these  mil- 
lionnaire  baboos. 

A Hindoo  girl  is  affianced  by  her  parents  at  the  age  of 
four  or  five,  and  is  usually  married  at  twelve.  Being 
a wife,  she  is  shut  up  for  the  rest  of  her  days  with  noth- 
ing to  do.  She  has  no  knitting,  no  embroidery,  no  needle- 
work; is  surrounded  with  books,  yet  not  knowing  how 
to  read.  Her  room  is  a blank  wall ; her  only  duties  are 
the  performance  of  the  daily  poojas,  — worship  of  a little 
brass  or  stone  image  in  the  form  of  a monkey,  or  a figure 
with  six  arms  and  four  faces ; hanging  flowers  round  its 
neck,  sprinkling  it  with  water,  bowing  before  it,  walking 
• round  it,  talking  to  it  as  little  girls  talk  to  their  dolls, 
lighting  wax-tapers ; nothing  but  this,  except  to  dandle 
her  children,  bring  food  to  the  husband,  eat  her  own,  and 
rearrange  the  folds  of  cloth  which  serve  for  a garment ; 
doing  this  and  sleeping  the  rest  of  the  time,  from  morning 
till  night,  from  night  till  morning,  through  the  twenty- 
four  hours,  the  weeks,  the  months,  the  years,  from  child- 
hood to  old  age  ! Such  is  the  unvarying  life  of  the  wo- 
men of  the  upper  classes. 

Hindoos  who  read  the  Big  Yeda,  Macbeth,  Faust,  the 
Inferno,  Orations  of  Cicero,  and  the  Odyssey  in  their 
original  languages  are  beginning  to  feel  that  there  is  an 
awkward  gap  in  their  system  of  life.  The  Hindoo  upper 
classes  are  too  intellectual  to  be  grossly  sensual.  They 
are  not  polygamists,  are  fond  of  their  Avives,  treat  them 
with  respect,  and  love  their  children,  especially  if  they 
are  sons.  But  there  is  no  Eve  in  their  Eden.  They 
come  home  from  the  counting-house  when  the  day’s  work 
is  ended,  read  a play  from  Shakespeare,  an  article  from 
Blackwood,  or  LongfelloAv’s  last  poem,  and  then  arises  the 
painful  reflection  that,  so  far  as  this  is  concerned,  his  Avife 
is  an  idiot ! 

Many  of  the  baboos  are  now  anxious  to  have  their 
9* 


202 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


wives  instructed ; but  the  women,  knowing  nothing  of  the 
sweets  of  knowledge,  as  a rule  manifest  hut  little  desire 
to  obtain  an  education.  Yet  they  have  a strong  desire 
to  learn  embroidery,  and  those  who  have  undertaken  to 
raise  them  from  their  degradation  have  seized  upon  it, 
and  are  using  it  to  great  advantage. 

Mothers  make  a nation ; and  among  a people  where  filial 
affection  is  one  of  the  cardinal  virtues  the  apothegm  is 
of  mighty  import,  and  may  be  turned  to  great  account. 
The  Hindoos  are  an  affectionate  race,  and  the  children 
show  great  respect  to  their  parents.  But  these  women 
can  only  be  reached  by  their  own  sex.  Caste  and  cus- 
tom are  in  the  way,  and  will  not  permit  a woman  to  show 
her  face  to  any  man  other  than  her  husband. 

Two  years  ago  Dr.  Valentine,  pliysiciap  and  missionary 
of  the  Scotch  Dree  Church,  was  travelling  through  the 
territory  of  the  Rajah  of  Jeypore,  one  of  the  up-country 
provinces ; the  Rajah’s  wife  being  sick,  he  sent  for  the 
Doctor,  but  the  fair  patient  would  only  permit  him  to  see 
the  tip  of  her  tongue  through  a hole  in  a screen,  and  to 
put  his  fingers  on  her  pulse  ! The  woman  would  have 
preferred  death  rather  than  that  he  should  have  seen  her 
face.  But  she  recovered  her  health  under  the  Doctor’s 
treatment ; and  the  Rajah  was  so  grateful  that  he  would 
not  hear  of  his  going  away,  offered  him  $ 3,000  a year 
if  he  would  stay  in  his  territory,  told  him  that  he  might 
preach  the  Gospel  when  and  where  he  pleased,  — condi- 
tions which  were  accepted. 

The  operations  of  the  American  Union  Mission  have 

been  attended  with  success.  The  Association  has  eleven 

( 

ladies  employed,  who,  besides  their  direct  labors,  have  the 
supervision  of  thirty-five  native  teachers,  who  have  about 
eight  hundred  women  of  the  higher  classes  under  in- 
struction. They  do  not  go  to  every  house,  but  five  or 
six  women  of  a neighborhood  meet  in  the  house  of  one 


OUR  FIRST  NIGHT  IN  CALCUTTA. 


203 


of  the  baboos,  and  receive  instruction  in  plain  sewing 
and  in  reading  and  writing,  — some  in  English,  and  all 
in  Bengali. 

Miss  Britton,  the  energetic  head  of  the  mission,  was  for- 
merly on  the  west  coast  of  Africa.  She  gave  her  strength 
and  patriotism  to  help  on  the  war  in  one  of  the  hospitals 
during  the  late  Bebellion  in  America,  and  now  is  here 
laboring  to  raise  the  women  of  India  from  their  fallen 
condition. 

In  one  of  the  lower  rooms  we  see  a dozen  or  more 
native  women,  Christians,  receiving  instruction,  — some 
studying  the  large  maps  on  the  walls,  others  with  slates. 
They  all  learn  needle-worlc  of  some  kind.  They  are  pre- 
paring themselves  for  teachers,  and  soon  will  be  instruct- 
ors in  the  baboos’  houses.  The  women  gone,  a class  of 
girls  come  in. 

We  talk  with  a pundit,  an  outcast,  because  he  has  re- 
jected idol-worship.  His  wife  has  been  taken  away  by 
her  friends  ; he  cannot  enter  the  houses  of  his  old  ac- 
quaintances ; every  door  is  shut  against  him,  every  face 
averted,  no  hand  gives  him  welcome.  He  is  morally  a 
leper,  unclean  in  the  sight  of  those  to  whom  he  was 
once  most  dear.  His  wife  was  five  years  old  when  she 
became  his  bride.  She  is  now  thirteen,  and  he  twenty. 
The  marriage  was  planned,  as  all  Hindoo  marriages  are, 
by  the  parents,  and  the  parties  had  no  choice  but  to  obey. 

He  has  determined  to  make  an  effort  to  see  his  wife. 
He  believes  that  she  is  not  averse  to  living  with  him, 
but  is  kept  away  by  her  parents.  If  such  be  the  case, 
he  intends  to  test  the  matter  in  the  courts,  and  see 
whether  the  arm  of  the  law  is  not  strong  enough  to  break 
down  this  barrier  of  caste. 

After  breakfast  the  teachers  start  for  their  day’s  work. 
They  are  welcome  everywhere.  Entering  the  houses 
where  the  women  assemble  for  instruction,  the  only  chair 


204 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


of  the  apartment  is  given  to  the  teacher.  Her  class  sit 
at  her  feet,  — children  in  mind,  though  adults  in  body, 
and  immeasurably  behind  the  lowest  class  in  a girls’ 
grammar  school  in  America.  Their  chief  desire  is  to 
learn  embroidery ; but  the  rule  is  imperative  that  they 
must  first  learn  the  alphabet,  then  easy  reading,  then 
plain  sewing,  and  so  on  step  by  step.  Some  give  up,  dis- 
couraged, in  three  weeks,  but  most  persevere  till  able  to 
read  fluently  in  their  own  language.  So  from  house  to 
house  go  these  indefatigable  teachers,  — the  mercury  at 
90°,  — energy  oozing  from  every  pore. 

Theirs  is  a great  work.  Educate  the  women  of  India, 
and  we  withdraw  two  hundred  millions  from  gross  idola- 
try. This  mighty  moral  leverage  attained,  the  whole 
substratum  of  society  will  be  raised  to  a higher  level. 
The  mothers  of  America  fought  the  late  war  through  to 
its  glorious  end.  They  sustained  the  army  by  their  labor, 
their  sympathy,  their  heroic  devotion.  The  mothers  of 
India  are  keeping  the  idols  on  their  pedestals.  For 
twenty-five  hundred  years  the  Brahmans  have  kept  the 
land  in  darkness,  but  these  devoted  women  of  the  United 
States  and  England  have  got  into  the  zenanas,  and  the 
days  of  the  Brahmans  are  numbered.  Their  Christian 
work  commends  itself  to  the  people  of  America.  It  is 
one  of  the  great  enterprises  of  the  day,  and  productive 
of  immediate  results. 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 


205 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 

IN  surveying  missionary  operations,  we  must  not  un- 
derrate the  difficulties  which  have  been  encountered. 
To  reach  all  of  the  one  hundred  and  eighty  millions  of 
this  country,  the  Bible  must  be  translated  into  many  dif- 
ferent tongues.  Dr.  McLeod,  who  was  sent  out  by  the 
Church  of  Scotland  to  visit  the  missions  of  British  India, 
says : — 

“ This  vast  country  is  occupied  by  various  races,  from 
the  most  savage  to  the  most  cultivated,  having  various  re- 
ligious beliefs,  and  speaking  languages  which  differ  from 
each  other  as  much  as  Gaelic  does  from  Italian,  most  of 
them  broken  up  by  dialects  so  numerous  as  practically  to 
form  probably  twenty  separate  languages.” 

But  a greater  obstacle  still  in  the  way  of  reform  is  the 
strong  hold  their  religious  opinions  and  practices  have 
upon  them.  Theirs  is  a very  ancient  religion.  For 
nearly  a hundred  generations  the  Hindoo  has  laved  in 
the  sacred  waters  of  the  Krishna  and  the  Ganges,  and 
offered  his  oblations  to  images  which  to  him  are  symbols 
of  deity.  Their  sacred  books,  their  traditions,  all  their 
habits,  their  joys,  their  sorrows,  whatever  is  dear  to  them 
in  life  or  hopeful  to  them  in  death,  bind  them  down  to 
idolatry. 

We  should  not  be  surprised  at  their  aversion  to  a 
religion  which  sweeps  away  caste,  overthrows  idols, 
subverts  the  whole  order  of  society,  and  reduces  the  sa- 
cred Shasters  to  a fable.  Religious  convictions,  however 
erroneous,  are  not  readily  given  up  by  any  portion  of  the 
human  race. 


206 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


In  considering  what  has  been  done,  or  whether  any- 
thing has  been  accomplished,  we  are  to  take  into  account 
the  difficulty  of  inducing  the  Hindoo  to  forsake  the  ways 
of  his  fathers,  sever  the  ties  that  hind  him  to  kindred 
and  friends,  and  accept  the  spiritual  worship  of  an  un- 
seen Jehovah. 

The  subject  demands  careful  consideration  before  the 
enterprise  is  pronounced  a failure.  Moral  ideas  are  of 
slow  growth.  Seed-time  and  harvest  are  far  apart.  All 
the  circumstances  of  this  people  must  be  taken  into 
account  in  making  up  our  estimate  of  progress. 

The  whole  Bible  has  already  been  translated  into  four- 
teen of  the  languages  and  dialects  of  India,  the  Hew 
Testament  into  several  more.  Among  all  classes  there 
is  a desire  to  obtain  an  education.  This  is  true  of  Mo- 
hammedans as  well  as  of  Hindoos.  Mr.  Herrick,  of  the 
Madura  Mission,  was  recently  requested  to  furnish  a 
Christian  female  teacher  to  take  charge  of  a school  for 
Mohammedan  girls. 

Speaking  of  the  eagerness  of  the  young  to  avail  them- 
selves of  the  privilege  of  receiving  instruction.  Dr.  Mc- 
Leod says : — 

“ Bight  missionaries  can,  by  means  of  the  school,  secure 
a large  and  steady  assemblage,  day  by  day,  of  from  five 
hundred  to  one  thousand  pupils,  representing  the  very 
life  of  Hindoo  society,  eager  to  obtain  an  education.” 

Some  of  the  converts  are  engaged  in  preaching  the 
Gospel  to  their  countrymen.  “ The  schools  have  already 
raised  from  among  their  converts  an  intelligent,  educated, 
and  respected  body  of  native  clergy,”  says  the  author  above 
quoted. 

The  school  has  been  a most  important  instrument  in 
spreading  intelligence  among  the  people.  It  was  found 
that  withdrawing  children  from  the  corrupting  influ- 
ences that  surrounded  them  in  their  heathen  homes,  and 


MISSIONARY  OPERATIONS. 


207 


placing  them  under  the  immediate  instruction  of  Chris- 
tian teachers,  was  one  of  the  most  successful  means  of 
bringing  the  truths  of  Christianity  into  vital  contact  with 
the  Hindoo  mind.  The  pupils  have  been  prepared  to  act 
effectually  on  those  still  in  darkness.  They  know  the 
strength  of  the  chains  that  bind  them  to  their  idolatrous 
practices,  for  they  have  been  in  the  same  thraldom  them- 
selves. Hence,  from  the  first,  the  teacher  has  been  con- 
sidered as  essential  as  the  preacher.  The  wives  of  mis- 
sionaries, as  far  as  their  duties  would  permit,  and  other 
persons,  have  engaged  successfully  in  this  work. 

As  early  as  1828  Miss  Farrar  was  sent  out  by  the 
American  Board,  and  other  teachers  have  followed. 
Through  the  influence  of  schools  woman  is  rising  to  a 
better  position.  As  the  pebble  dropped  into  the  calm 
lake  sends  its  wavelets  to  the  distant  shore,  so  will  the 
influence  of  those  who  have  given  their  lives  to  this 
work  ever  widen.  Those  who  have  contributed  to  send 
the  Bible  to  this  people  will  not  regret  any  sacrifice  they 
may  have  made. 

The  Boman  Catholic  Church  has  had  missionaries  in 
India  from  the  time  the  Portuguese  “settled  at  Goa.  For 
a long  while  they  had  good  success,  because  they  gratified 
the  native  taste  for  ceremony  and  display.  Goa  is  still 
the  centre  of  their  operations. 

The  Times  of  India  has  an  account  of  the  exorcising  of 
devils,  as  lately  practised.  A cross  was  erected,  and  effigies 
of  the  Virgin  and  the  Archangels  Michael  and  Gabriel. 
The  women  afflicted  with  devils  kneeled  before  the  im- 
ages, weeping  and  wailing.  The  priest  plucked  out  hand- 
fuls of  their  hair,  thus  relieving  them  of  the  wicked 
spirits.  / Some  of  the  women  got  rid  of  six,  others  eight, 
some  ten,  and  one  of  twelve  devils  ! 

Such  a performance  commends  itself  to  the  ignorant; 
but  educated  Hindoos  are  more  averse,  as  a rule,  to  Ca- 


208 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


tholicism  than  to  Protestantism.  They  are  intellectual 
enough  to  accept  a religion  of  ideas,  and  having  turned 
from  their  images,  reject  everything  that  approaches  idol- 
worship.  We  are  assured  hy  those  who  ought  to  know, 
that  Catholicism  is  not  making  much  headway  at  the 
present  time. 


The  intelligent  natives  who  renounce  idolatry,  and  do 
not  embrace  Christianity,  become  Deists  or  Pantheists. 
Those  who  are  best  acquainted  with  this  class  say  that 
Theodore  Parker’s  works  and  the  writings  of  John  Stuart 
Mill  are  extensively  read.  The  Hindoo  who  accepts 
Christianity,  attends  church,  and  receives  the  rite  of  bap- 


CASTING  OUT  DEVILS. 


LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


209 


tism,  is  ostracized ; but  be  may  reject  the  absurdities  and 
myths  of  the  Hindoo  religion,  and  adopt  rationalism, 
without  losing  his  social  position. 

Many  of  the  Baboos  believe  in  the  existence  of  the  Su- 
preme Being,  but  reject  the  Bible  and  its  teachings. 


TRAVELLERS  in  the  tropics,  though  they  may  be 


charmed  by  the  luxuriance  of  nature,  will  miss  the 
changes  which  mark  the  year  in  temperate  climes. 
Here  nature  has  no  dividing,  line.  Flowers  are  always 
in  bloom,  trees  ever  putting  forth  their  leaves.  The 
sparrows  never  cease  their  chirping  in  the  thickets.  The 
Hindoo  minstrel  chants  no  such  songs  of  the  seasons  as 
are  lung  around  our  winter  firesides.  To  him  Whittier’s 
“ Snow-Bound  ” would  be  an  unmeaning  myth.  He  has 
no  conception  of  a country  in  which  the  earth  suddenly 
puts  off  her  green  robe,  and  all  the  genial  aspects  of 
nature  change  in  a night  to 


There  are  no  such  wonderful  manifestations  of  vital 
energy  as  mark  the  resurrection  of  flowers  and  growth 
of  vegetation  in  cooler  climes, — 


There  is  no  winter,  spring,  or  autumn  in  the  Indian 
calendar.  The  year  is  divided  into  hot,  rainy,  and  tem- 
perate seasons. 

The  hot  period  commences  in  April  and  lasts  till  July. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


“ A universe  of  sky  and  snow.” 


“ No  sweet  decay  and  dying  of  the  year.” 


N 


210 


OUR  NEW  WAY  BOUND  THE  WORLD. 


This  part  of  the  year  tells  most  severely  upon  Europeans. 
All  who  can  leave  the  city.  Women  and  children  are 
sent  to  England.  The  exodus  begins  in  March.  We  met 
the  fugitives  at  Suez,  and  every  steamer  since  then  has 
been  crowded.  Many  of  those  who  remain  in  India 
hasten  to  the  mountains.  Some  of  the  foreign  resi- 
dents of  Calcutta  flee  to  the  Darjeling  hills,  — the  outposts 
of  the  Himalayas.  The  Europeans  of  Southern  India 
seek  health  among  the  Nilgherry  hills  of  the  Malabar 
coast,  where,  at  the  height  of  five  thousand  feet,  they 
inhale  the  fresh  breezes  that  herald  the  approaching 
monsoon.  Bombay,  being  on  the  western  coast,  first 
feels  the  periodical  gale,  and  the  hot  season  there  is  not 
so  long  or  so  severe  as  in  the  valley  of  the  Ganges. 
Western  India  has  its  Sanitarium  in  the  mountains  near 
Poonah.  Continued  residence  in  the  lowlands  thins  the 
blood.  One  or  two  years  may  be  passed  without  much 
effect  upon  the  system  ; but  lassitude  creeps  on ; men 
find  it  easier  to  be  indolent  than  active ; and  before  they 
are  aware  their  native  vigor  is  gone,  to  be  recovered  only 
by  returning  to  the  land  of  their  birth. 

The  rainy  season  lasts  from  July  to  November.  Fitful 
breezes  from  the  southwest  begin  in  May,  but  the  mon- 
soon does  not  set  in  till  a month  later.  On  the  western 
coast  it  begins  about  the  10th  of  June.  It  is  preceded 
by  light  clouds,  that  move  rapidly  up  from  the  southwest. 
As  an  army  throws  out  its  videttes  while  preparing  to 
march,  so  these  swiftly-flying  pioneers  of  the  gale  flit  over 
the  heated  land. 

The  breaking  of  the  monsoon  upon  the  mountains  and 
plains  of  India  i&  grander  than  the  onset  of  armies.  The 
elements  wage  mighty  war  with  flaming  lightning,  crack- 
ling and  deep  resounding  thunders,  with  the  breeze 
increasing  to  a gale,  rising  to  a tempest,  becoming  a hur- 
ricane, — demolishing  houses,  sweeping  away  forests,  leav- 


LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


211 


ing  desolation  in  its  track ; rain  pouring  in  torrents,  wash- 
ing down  the  mountains,  drenching  the  highlands,  and 
flooding  the  plains  ! There  is  not  a continuous  fall  of 
rain,  but  a succession  of  heavy  showers,  with  alterna- 
tions of  sunshine. 

Mists  rise  from  the  ground.  The  air  is  steaming  and 
sticky.  Dampness  creeps  into  houses,  and  musty  smells 
pervade  the  apartments.  Green  mould  gathers  on  cloth- 
ing in  the  driest  presses.  Boots,  though  highly  polished, 
grow  a crop  of  fungi  in  twenty-four  hours,  if  unused. 
The  whitest  walls  become  spotted  with  yellow,  as  if  the 
plague  had  suddenly  made  its  appearance.  Roaring  fires 
must  be  kept  in  the  rooms,  braziers  of  burning  charcoal 
in  the  closets,  to  keep  everything  about  the  premises  from 
turning  to  mould. 

There  is  a sudden  swarming  of  insects.  They  are 
innumerable ; creeping,  hopping,  flying,  buzzing  in  the 
ears,  diving  into  the  food ; taking  possession  of  bed  and 
bedding ; biting,  stinging,  pestering ; giving  no  rest  to 
the  weary.  When  those  that  bite  by  day  cease  their 
annoyance,  a hungrier  set  torment  us  when  night  comes 
on.  • 

More  destructive  than  all  others  are  the  white  ants. 
Their  teeth  are  sharp  enough  to  gnaw  anything,  unless  it 
be  stone,  brick,  glass,  iron,  or  other  metals ; everything  else 
is  food  to  them. 

“ We  have  put  down,”  said  a railway  engineer,  “ wooden 
ties,  but  the  white  ants  eat  them  up  in  a few  weeks. 
We  are  obliged  to  build  iron  bridges,  and  eventually  shall 
have  to  resort  to  iron  ties.” 

Grain  of  all  kinds,  sugar,  clothing,  bedding,  furniture, 
books,  are  destroyed  by  them.  “ They  devoured,”  said 
a gentleman,  “ a large  library  for  me  in  three  weeks.” 

Clothing  must  be  kept  in  camphor- wood  trunks.  Food 
can  only  be  preserved  by  placing  it  in  earthen  jars.  Bed- 


212 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


posts  must  be  set  in  glass  or  iron  dishes,  filled  with  salt 
water.  Only  by  the  utmost  watchfulness  can  clothing 
and  furniture  be  protected  from  their  ravages. 

When  the  rainy  season  sets  in,  all  labor  ceases.  There 
is  no  travelling  on  country  roads.  Before  the  construction 
of  railroads,  there  was  little  communication  through  the 
interior  from  July  to  November.  The  cool  season,  which 
begins  in  November  and  lasts  till  April,  is  the  time  for 
active  work.  Then  India  is  a paradise.  It  is  the  time 
when  travellers  should  visit  this  wonderful  old  land. 
The  air  is  fragrant  with  the  odor  of  sweet  flowers.  The 
trees  bear  their  greenest  foliage.  The  slight  coolness  of 
the  night  gives  keen  relish  for  the  enjoyment  of  the  day. 
The  sun  shines  from  a cloudless  sky.  The  days  are 
serene ; and  at  night  the  heavens  are  studded  with  stars 
of  the  first  magnitude,  while  the  southern  cross  and  the 
constellations  around  it  are  more  brilliant  than  those  of 
more  northern  latitudes. 

India,  although  so  attractive  during  a portion  of  the 
year,  has  its  drawbacks.  Along  this  coast  the  cyclones 
sweep  with  unparalleled  force.  They  usually  occur  be- 
tween the  monsoons.  The  year  might  be  divided  by 
these  alternate  winds,  which  blow  from  June  to  October 
from  the  southwest  and  from  November  to  May  from  the 
northeast.  They  do  not  shift  at  once,  but  are  variable  for 
a few  weeks  ; and  during  the  change,  or  before  the  mon- 
soon has  fairly  set  in,  the  hurricanes  sweep  along  the 
coast. 

Walking  through  Calcutta,  we  see  the  effect  of  the 
cyclone  of  last  year.  On  every  hand  are  wrecks  of 
buildings,  trees  torn  up  by  the  roots  or  twisted  like 
withes.  The  storm  lasted  but  a few  hours,  yet  ships 
were  sunk  in  the  river,  others  dismasted,  some  driven 
from  their  anchorage  high  upon  the  beach.  The  water 
of  the  Bay  of  Bengal,  swelling  up  the  Hoogly  and  the 


LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


213 


mouths  of  the  Ganges,  inundated  all  the  region  of  the, 
Sunderbund.  Thousands  of  the  natives  perished  in  the 
lowlands.  When  the  tornado  had  passed,  many  of  those 
who  survived  its  violence  found  their  houses  gone,  their 
fishing-boats  high  and  dry  on  the  land,  or  floating  sea- 
ward in  splintered  pieces. 

During  the  winter  slight  frosts  sometimes  occur  upon 
the  high  lands  of  the  interior ; but  in  the  valley  of  the 
- Ganges,  and  here  at  Calcutta,  the  greatest  cold  sinks  the 
mercury  only  a few  degrees.  Although  the  rainy  season 
is  attended  with  so  many  discomforts,  no  one  among  the 
hundred  and  eighty  millions  of  India  but  looks  forward 
to  it  with  anxious  longing.  If  the  clouds  should  fail  to 
come  up  from  the  sea  with  their  freight  of  moisture, 
famine  would  stalk  over  the  land,  as  it  has  frequently 
in  the  past.  Several  times  since  the  English  have  occu- 
pied the  country  the  laws  of  nature  have  failed  to  per- 
form their  customary  work,  and  hecatombs  have  perished 
in  consequence. 

In  the  great  famine  of  1770  it  is  estimated  that  not  less 
than  thirty  million  of  people  perished  in  the  valley  of  the 
Ganges  alone.  In  1866  nearly  a million  starved  to  death 
in  Orissa,  in  Southern  India.  In  that  province  less  rain 
always  falls  than  in  other  parts  of  India,  owing  to  its 
peculiar  situation,  the  mountains  on  the  western  coast 
intercepting  the  clouds.  It  is  an  out-of-the-way  prov- 
ince, and  there  are  no  means  of  reaching  it  from  the  sea- 
coast.  It  was  not  known  that  there  was  a scarcity  of 
food ; and  when  the  terrible  fact  became  known  to  the 
government,  the  officials  were  so  slow  to  act,  that  before 
relief  was  given  three  fourths  of  a million  had  perished. 

In  1770  there  was  no  means  of  communication  with 
the  interior  except  by  the  river  Ganges.  The  govern- 
ment at  that  time  was  not  only  forceless,  but  wicked. 
There  was  but  one  animating  motive,  — to  wring  from 


214 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


the  millions  of  India  the  greatest  possible  amount  of 
revenue.  The  account  of  that  famine,  the  indifference 
and  heartlessness  of  the  East  India  Company,  is  one  of 
the  saddest  pages  that  darkens  the  history  of  modern 
times.  Notwithstanding  thirty-five  per  cent  of  the  popu- 
lation perished,  and  though  one  half  of  those  who  tilled 
the  soil  were  carried  off,  only  five  per  cent  of  the  land 
tax  was  remitted  during  the  year ; and  in  the  year  1771, 
when  the  whole  country  was  desolate  and  poverty- 
stricken,  the  company  not  only  demanded  the  full  tax, 
hut  ground  out  from  the  struggling  population  ten  per 
cent  additional ! When  the  famine  was  at  its  worst ; 
when  natives  were  living  on  roots,  grass,  and  leaves  of 
trees,  and  devouring  even  the  bodies  of  the  dead ; when 
the  Ganges  was  filled  with  floating  corpses  which  the 
jackals  and  tigers  of  the  jungles  coidd  not  devour,  the 
government  met  in  council  and  voted  to  distribute 
$ 20,000  worth  of  rice  a month  among  thirty  mil- 
lions of  people.  The  grant,  which  may  seem  munificent 
when  reckoned  by  thousands  of  dollars,  gives  only  a 
cent's  worth  of  rice  per  day  to  five  hundred  starving  in- 
habitants, — the  fraction  of  a kernel  to  each  person  ! 

But  those  years  of  maladministration  have  passed 
away,  and  it  is  hoped  the  days  of  famine  may  never 
return. 

Free  ports,  free  trade  in  breadstuff's,  railroads,  steam- 
ships, and  telegraphs  have  made  it  almost  impossible 
that  there  should  be  a long-continued  famine  in  any 
country. 

Riding  down  the  banks  of  the  Hoogly,  we  stop  in  front 
of  a gateway  opening  into  a yard  where  the  bodies  of  the 
dead  are  burned.  Venders  of  wood  are  waiting  beside 
their  piles  of  fagots  for  the  arrival  of  funeral  trains.  A 
brisk  fire  is  burning  in  the  centre  of  the  enclosure,  and 
amid  the  crackling  flames  is  the  half-consumed  body  of 


LIFE  IN  INDIA. 


215 


an  adult.  A sickening  odor  pervades  the  air.  Near  by- 
sit  the  sorrowing  relatives,  one  of  whom  kindled  the  fire 
as  a last  loving  act  towards  the  dead. 

The  odor  being  very  offensive,  the  government  has 
recently  erected  tall  chimneys,  and  are  constructing  fur- 
naces enclosed  in  iron  cars,  which  can  be  run  into  ovens, 
so  that  the  noxious  gases  will  no  longer  endanger  the 
health  of  the  community.  The  natives  themselves  are 
much  pleased  with  the  change,  as  it  will  be  more 
economical. 

Returning,  we  pass  the  government  buildings,  which 
are  extensive  and  imposing,  and  kept  up  at  great  expense. 
The  Governor-General  has  a salary  five  times  that  of  the 
President  of  the  United  States.  Calcutta  being  the  polit- 
ical capital,  a great  deal  of  pomp  and  show  is  main- 
tained, not  only  by  the  officials,  but  by  the  merchants, 
who  live  in  princely  style,  and  have  large  retinues  of 
servants. 

“You  will  see  some  very  handsome  uniforms,  Mr. 
Weller,”  said  Mr.  John  Smauker,  as  those  two  gen- 
tlemen entered  the  little  green-grocer’s  shop  to  attend 
a soiree,  as  narrated  in  the  Pickwick  Papers;  and  the 
same  remark  will  apply  to  servants  and  footmen  in 
Calcutta. 

Nearly  every  evening  the  military  band  plays  on  the 
Chowringhee,  a beautiful  park  where  the  aristocracy  ap- 
pear in  coaches  blazing  with  armorial  decorations.  Chaises 
and  dog-carts  abound.  The  foreign  residents  of  Calcutta 
live  high.  A dinner  is  a formidable  affair.  There  is  no 
letting  up  of  etiquette.  Though  the  mercury  may  be  at 
120°,  gentlemen  must  appear  in  full  dress  suit  of  black 
with  white  cravat,  and  go  through  all  the  courses  of  soup, 
fish,  flesh,  pastry,  and  dessert,  with  a variety  of  drinks,  — 
claret,  old  sherry,  or  Bass  & Co.’s  ale. 

The  English  do  not  change  their  customs.  Native 


216 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


customs  must  bend  to  theirs,  — theirs  to  the  Hindoo 
never. 

We  shall  not  soon  forget  the  experience  of  our  last 
night  in  Calcutta.  It  has  a very  agreeable  beginning  in 
the  parlors  of  an  American  resident,  where,  while  the 
hours  fly  swiftly  by,  we  make  the  acquaintance  of  ladies 
and  gentlemen  from  the  United  States.  It  is  midnight 
when  we  bid  them  farewell  to  go  on  board  the  steamer 
which  is  to  leave  at  daylight  for  Singapore  and  China. 

Our  Bengalese  coachman  starts  off  at  full  speed ; but 
there  is  a sudden  halt.  His  horse  refuses  to  go  in  the 
direction  of  the  steamer.  He  will  go  in  any  other.  We 
pass  up  a short  street  to  the  right,  turn  round  and  come 
back  again,  go  in  a circle,  backwards,  sideways,  up  a street 
to  the  left,  then  back  again,  once  more  in  a circle,  and 
finally  come  to  a stand-still.  The  driver  chirrups,  clucks, 
utters  a variety  of  Hindoo  words,  but  the  beast  is  totally 
depraved.  We  are  fixed  in  the  streets.  A thunder- 
shower is  coming  up,  and  by  the  gleaming  lightning  we 
can  see  the  perverse  animal  with  legs  firmly  braced,  de- 
termined not  to  advance  another  inch. 

The  driver  has  a whip,  but  dares  not  use  it.  He  comes 
to  the  carriage,  makes  doleful  lamentations  in  Bengali,  of 
which  we  know  as  little  as  of  Timbuctoo. 

Getting  out  of  the  carriage,  motioning  the  driver  to 
his  seat,  and  seizing  the  whip,  we  try  its  effect.  Stolid 
indifference  a moment,  then  kicks,  snorts,  shakings  of 
the  head,  backing,  turning  round,  plunges  at  one  end, 
and  kicks  at  the  other ; standing  on  two  legs,  — antics 
too  numerous  to  lie  mentioned.  The  coachman  holds  up 
his  hands  in  supplication.  He  will  take  us  back,  the 
horse  will  go  in  that  direction.  But  we  are  going  to  the 
steamer.  The  lean,  lank,  spavined  old  rackabones  has 
always  had  his  own  way,  and  does  not  mean  to  yield ; 
but  finally  thinks  better  of  it,  makes  one  last  despairing 
kick,  and  plunges  madly  down  the  road. 


ACROSS  THE  BAY  OF  BENGAL. 


217 


We  have  barely  time  to  leap  aboard.  He  tears  up  the 
road,  the  sparks  fly  beneath  his  hoofs ; now  we  are  in 
the  gutter,  the  carriage  reeling.  We  turn  a corner  and 
barely  escape  a capsize.  But  all  is  well  that  ends  well, 
and  so  we  reach  at  length  the  river-bank,  and  find  quar- 
ters on  board  the  steamer. 


E have  tossed  and  tumbled,  fought  fleas,  and  waged 


a sanguinary  war  with  innumerable  mosquitoes 
through  the  night,  and  now  at  daylight  are  upon  the 
deck  of  the  Clan  Alpine,  to  take  a farewell  look  at 
Calcutta. 

We  float  past  a fleet  of  merchant  vessels  lying  in  the 
stream,  with  topmasts  and  spars  sent  down  to  the  deck, 
a precaution  against  the  cyclones.  The  river  is  alive 
with  native  craft.  At  this  early  hour  the  followers  of 
Brahma  are  on  the  bank,  thousands  of  them  taking  their 
morning  bath.  Stately  adjutant-cranes  look  down  upon 
us  from  the  neighboring  houses  ; kites  scream  over  our 
heads ; crows  make  themselves  at  home  on  the  deck  of 
our  steamer.  The  bustle  of  the  day  is  beginning  in  the 
streets  of  this  lively  city  of  India. 

The  tide  is  in  our  favor,  and  we  glide  rapidly  away 
from  the  town,  — past  the  beautiful  parade,  or  common ; 
the  cathedral,  with  its  tall  spire  and  turrets ; the  fort,  its 
ramparts  bristling  with  cannon,  — the  place  where,  two 
centuries  ago,  the  East  India  Company  first  got  foothold 
on  Indian  soil ; past  the  dock-yards  of  the  Peninsular 


CHAPTER  XXI Y. 


ACROSS  THE  BAY  OF  BENGAL. 


10 


218 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


and  Oriental  Company,  where  one  of  their  noble  steamers 
is  taking  in  coal  for  her  long  trip  down  the  coast  to 
Ceylon,  then  to  Suez ; past  the  docks  of  the  Messageries 
Imperiales,  where  another  steamer  is  receiving  a new 
coat  of  paint  after  a voyage  to  Japan;  past  beautiful 
residences,  and  lovely  gardens,  and  well-kept  grounds, 
where  peacocks  and  monkeys  are  sporting  among  the 
shrubs  and  flowers,  where  elephants,  like  the  Hindoos, 
are  taking  a morning  bath  in  the  Hoogly. 

The  river  has  many  a graceful  sweep,  but  the  banks 
are  low,  and  there  is  no  background  of  hills  to  set  off  the 
groves  of  cocoa,  palm,  and  plantain.  We  look  upon  rice- 
fields  ; upon  fishing-boats  high  and  dry  on  the  shore,  fifty 
rods  away  from  the  river,  swept  up  there  in  the  great 
storm  of  last  year,  which  made  terrible  havoc  at  even  this 
distance  from  the  sea. 

The  Clan  Alpine  is  rated  a fast  steamer ; she  is  freighted 
with  opium,  for  which  the  Chinese  are  hankering.  The 
government  of  India  holds  an  auction  of  the  drug  on 
the  9th  of  every  month,  and  on  the  21st  the  houses  of 
Jardine,  Skinner,  & Co.  and  Apcar  & Co.  despatch  a fast 
steamer  to  Hong  Kong.  These  two  steamers  sail  for 
China  direct,  but  indirect  communication  is  had  by  the 
Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company  via  Ceylon,  and  once 
a month  a steamer  creeps  along  the  coast  of  Burmah  to 
Singapore,  where  the  voyager  must  wait  to  hit  the  regular 
liners. 

It  is  mid-afternoon  when  we  pass  from  the  fresh  water 
of  the  river  to  the  salt  water  of  the  Bay  of  Bengal. 
While  asleep  in  our  state-room,  making  up  what  was 
lost  in  the  battle  with  the  mosquitoes  of  the  night  before, 
there  is  a sudden  explosion  like  the  discharge  of  a can- 
non, a hurrying  of  feet  overhead,  and  shrieks  of  agony. 
The  steward  rushes  past  our  door. 

“ What  is  the  trouble  ? ” 


ACROSS  THE  BAY  OF  BENGAL. 


219 


“ The  boiler  has  — ” He  is  gone,  the  sentence  un- 
finished. A cloud  of  steam  rushes  into  the  cabin.  We 
leap  from  our  berth,  and  hasten  to  the  deck.  Mrs.  C. 
is  there.  Our  startled  imagination  hears  only  her  voice 
in  the  wild  shrieks  of  agony,  more  piercing,  more  painful 
than  all  the  others.  We  reach  the  cabin  stairs,  and  are 
met  by  the  hot  vapor  rolling  down  the  gangway.  In- 
stinct is  quick  at  such  times.  We  crouch  low,  covering 
our  face,  creep  up  the  stairs,  crawl  along  the  deck,  gasp- 
ing, panting,  inhaling  air  that  sends  a sharp  pain  through 
the  lungs.  We  reach  the  chair  in  which  she  sat  when 
we  went  below.  She  is  not  there.  The  cries  are  fainter 
now.  We  can  see  nothing.  The  white  cloud  is  impene- 
trable to  the  sight,  — so  thick  that  we  convulsively 
clutch  at  it  to  tear  it  away,  as  if  it  were  a curtain,  or 
something  palpable  to  the  grasp. 

We  call : no  answer.  Again  ; then  a faint  “ Here  ! ” 

Creeping  along,  with  face  close  to  the  deck,  we  reach 
the  stern  of  the  vessel,  where  the  captain,  the  chief 
engineer,  and  the  five  or  six  other  passengers  are  stand- 
ing on  the  taffrail,  with  their  heads  above  the  awning, 
and  thus  protected  from  the  steam : among  them  Mrs.  C. 
unharmed  ! 

0,  how  long  it  takes  for  that  cloud  to  clear  away  ! It 
seems  an  age.  Little  by  little  we  see  what  has  happened. 
One  poor  fellow  is  writhing  in  agony  at  our  feet,  — 
face,  hands,  and  breast  parboiled.  Going  forward,  and 
looking  into  the  engine-room,  we  see  that  one  of  the 
superheaters  has  burst,  pouring  a volume  of  steam  into 
the  apartment,  and  completely  enveloping  the  engineers 
and  firemen.  One  by  one  the  poor  creatures  are  brought 
up  ; some  are  dead,  others  dying  ; some  with  skin  hang- 
ing in  shreds  and  patches,  countenances  disfigured  be- 
yond the  possibility  of  recognition,  flesh  burned  away, 
leaving  tendons  and  bones  bare.  There  are  nineteen 


220 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


victims  in  all.  They  are  all  natives  except  one,  the  fourth 
engineer,  who  is  a Scotchman.  Tablecloths  are  torn  up 
for  bandages,  oil  is  poured  upon  the  wounds  of  the  suffer- 
ers ; everything  possible  is  done  for  their  relief ; but  for 
thirteen  of  them  human  aid  is  of  no  avail. 

The  chief  engineer  states  that  there  were  but  eighteen 
pounds  of  steam  on  at  the  time,  and  that  he  has  fre- 
quently run  the  engine  with  twenty-five.  It  is  the 
“ priming  ” of  the  boilers  consequent  upon  passing  from 
fresh  into  salt  water  that  caused  the  explosion ; but  an 
examination  of  the  fractured  iron  shows  that  under  the 
superheating  process  the  life  of  the  metal  has  been  grad- 
ually burned  out. 

Having  two  boilers  still  intact,  and  the  engine  unin- 
jured, the  captain  decides  to  go  on,  though  our  voyage 
will  be  delayed  two  or  three  days  in  consequence  of 
the  accident. 

The  bodies  of  the  dead  Hindoos  are  committed  to  the 
deep  without  any  religious  ceremony,  for  they  have  no 
funeral  rites.  But  a sad  group  gathers  amidships  at  sun- 
set,— the  captain,  the  officers,  the  passengers,  and  the 
Malays  and  Hindoos,  who  are  curious  to  see  how  Chris- 
tians dispose  of  their  dead.  Bather;  mother,  relatives, 
and  friends  of  his  youth  are  far  away  in  his  native  land. 
A few  strokes  upon  the  bell,  a few  words  from  the  burial- 
service,  read  with  faltering  voice  by  the  captain.  Tears 
course  down  the  bronzed  cheeks  of  his  brother  officers 
as  they  bear  the  body  to  the  vessel’s  side,  and  commit  it 
to  the  deep. 

“ O mother,  praying  God  will  save 

Thy  sailor,  — while  thy  head  is  bowed 
His  heavy-shotted  hammock-shroud 
Drops  in  his  vast  and  wandering  grave.” 


THE  SPICE  ISLANDS. 


221 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


THE  SPICE  ISLANDS. 


UR  course  is  southeast,  across  a smooth  sea.  Five 


hundred  miles  bring  us  to  the  Andaman  Islands,  a 
group  which  lies  west  of  the  coast  of  Burmah.  On  the 
map  they  are  represented  as  being  near  the  main-land, 
hut  it  is  full  two  hundred  miles  across  to  Rangoon. 
They  are  of  volcanic  origin,  heaved  up  from  the  sea  ages 
ago,  but  clothed  now  with  the  rankest  tropical  verdure. 

There  is  a light-house  on  Cocoa  Island,  maintained  by 
the  English  government.  A ship  calls  there  three  or 
four  times  a year,  sent  out  by  the  India  Light-house 
Board ; but  the  five  or  six  individuals  composing  the 
colony  live  by  themselves  during  the  long  months,  with- 
out other  intercourse  with  the  world.  On  one  of  the 
southern  islands  of  the  chain  the  East  Indian  govern- 
ment has  established  a penal  colony.  Birds  are  flying 
along  the  shores ; monkeys  without  number  are  chat- 
tering in  the  green  forests ; but  there  are  no  signs  of 
human  life,  — no  roads  winding  up  the  hillsides.  The 
wild  men  who  people  this  group  occupy  only  the  largest 
islands,  which  lie  out  of  our  track,  and  are  as  wild  now 
as  their  ancesters  were  a thousand  years  ago. 

ISTature  has  put  a great  block  in  the  path  of  commerce 
here,  as  she  has  also  at  Suez  and  Panama.  The  Malay 
peninsula  is  a narrow  tongue  of  land,  only  twelve  miles 
wide  at  one  place ; if  it  did  not  exist,  or  if  there  were 
a canal  across  it,  vessels  bound  to  or  from  China  might 
save  a thousand  miles  of  their  voyage. 

This  is  a land  of  enchantment.  We  never  weary  of 


222  OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 

gazing  upon  its  laills  and  mountains,  — some  so  high  that 
their  summits  are  lost  in  the  clouds,  — clothed  in  the 
richest  verdure,  from  wave-wTashed  base  to  cloud-capped 
peak. 

We  look  into  deep  ravines,  through  lovely  vistas, 
varying  every  moment,  and  revealing  new  beauties, 
which  are  succeeded  by  others  before  we  have  time 
to  express  our  admiration  of  them. 

These  are  the  “ spice  islands,”  — of  nutmeg,  clove, 
pimento,  and  cinnamon,  — fanned  by  balmy  breezes, 
laved  by  gentle  waves,  reposing  beneath  skies  ever 
beautiful,  — islands  that  have  enchanted  us  in  poesy. 

But  there  is  another  side  .to  the  picture.  The  mercury 
is  ninety-three  in  the  shade,  the  atmosphere  steamy  and 
sticky.  Wipe  ourselves  thoroughly  dry  with  a towel,  and 
in  five  minutes  we  are  again  reeking  with  perspiration. 
Energy  evaporates.  We  feel  like  doing  nothing,  but 
would  give  a good  price  for  a cool  place  to  do  it  in. 
The  breeze,  so  balmy  over  the  poetic  page,  is  hot  and 
penetrating;  we  would  like  to  carry  out  the  idea  of 
Sydney  Smith,  and  take  off  our  flesh  and  sit  in  our 
bones. 

Were  we  to  take  up  our  residence  upon  the  islands,  we 
should  find  snakes,  scorpions,  centipedes,  lizards,  and  all 
sorts  of  vermin,  making  themselves  free  with  our  prem- 
ises. We  should  have  wood-leeches  creeping  into  our 
nostrils  while  asleep,  and  absorbing  the  best  blood  of  the 
brain.  The  deadly  cobra  would  wriggle  into  our  bed- 
chamber, without  asking  our  leave ; spiders,  with  legs 
three  inches  long,  bodies  the  size  of  a small  teacup, 
would  spin  webs  over  our  windows,  or  look  down  upon 
us  with  hungry  eyes  from  the  corners  of  the  room. 
Swarms  of  flying  ants  would  come  into  the  dining-room 
at  dinner-time,  and  light  upon  the  roast  mutton ; white 
ants  would  bore  out  the  table-legs,  gnaw  away  the  pillars 


THE  SPICE  ISLANDS. 


223 


of  the  house,  or  carry  off  our  best  suits  of  clothes  in  a 
single  night ; hugs,  flies,  fleas,  beetles,  cockroaches,  lice, 
— blue  bugs  and  black  bugs,  yellow  bugs  and  green 
bugs,  little  bugs  and  big  bugs,  — creeping,  flying,  skip- 
ping, hopping,  jumping,  running,  — coming  at  morning, 
noon,  and  night,  — especially  at  night,  when  we  are 
sweating,  tossing,  turning,  and  tumbling,  and  trying  to 
get  a wink  of  sleep  ! How  nice  to  have  a great  spider 
straddle  over  your  face,  cockroaches  as  large  as  mice  skip 
across  the  dinner-table  ! If  these  seem  to  be  exaggera- 
tions, go  into  a Museum  of  Natural  History,  and  there  see 
Avliat  company  the  people  of  the  tropics  are  compelled 
to  put  up  with.  The  lands . of  spice  are  delightful,  as 
seen  by  the  poet’s  eye.  The  natives  undoubtedly  think 
there  are  no  climes  so  beautiful ; and  some  Englishmen 
profess  to  like  these  lands  better  than  their  own  misty 
isle.  It  is  well  for  the  world  that  tastes  differ. 

A change  of  course,  and  a few  hours’  steaming,  would 
take  us  up  the  Gulf  of  Martaban  to  Burmah,  to  the 
mouths  of  the  Irawaddy,  to  Rangoon  and  Maulmain ; 
but  our  course  is  towards  the  equator.  We  have  a 
view  of  Port  Cornwallis,  — the  penal  settlement  of  the 
Indian  government. 

Steaming  southeast  a few  hours  brings  us  in  sight  of 
the  mountains  on  the  main-land,  which  rear  their  lofty 
summits  high  above  the  sea.  Approaching  nearer,  we 
gaze  entranced  upon  the  scene.  We  are  sailing  over 
smooth  waters, — 

“ Calm  on  the  seas,  and  silver  sleep, 

And  waves  that  sway  themselves  in  rest.” 

The  air  is  loaded  with  perfume  from  the  shore  ; a varied 
verdure  meets  the  eye,  — palms  on  the  low  land,  betel, 
cinnamon,  nutmeg,  clove,  dorian,  and  mangosteen  upon  the 
slopes ; shades  of  deep  green  in  the  ravines,  fading  to 


224 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


lighter  hues  higher  up  the  mountain-sides.  No  fields 
or  farms  or  villages  fill  up  the  panorama.  Native  huts 
are  seen  along  the  shore,  but  the  Malayan  attempts  no 
conquest  of  nature.  The  sea  gives  him  fish,  the  forest 
fruit ; thus  he  is  provided  with  food.  A mat  affords  him 
shelter.  So  the  hand  of  man  has  wrought  no  changes 
in  the  landscape.  It  is  as  it  has  been  since  the  morn- 
ing stars  sang  together. 

Opposite  the  northern  end  of  Sumatra,  close  under 
the  coast  of  Malacca,  is  the  island  of  Penang,  about  thir- 
teen miles  long  and  eleven  wide,  separated  from  the  main- 
land by  a narrow  strait.  It  was  taken  possession  of  by 
the  East  India  Company  in  1786,  and  was  held  by  that 
corporation  till  1857,. when  it  became  a dependency  of 
the  British  crown.  A few  years  ago  a strip  of  the  main- 
land was  obtained,  — ceded  to  the  British  government  by 
the  native  rajah,  Queda,  who  has  placed  himself  and  tribe 
under  English  protection.  The  island  and  the  ceded  ter- 
ritory are  known  as  the  province  of  Wellesley,  and  have 
together  a population  made  up  as  follows  : — 


Malays  ...... 

. 72,000 

Chinese  . . . . ’ . 

39,000 

Natives  of  India  . 

. 14J000 

Asiatics  and  Europeans 

1,700 

126,700 

The  number  of  Europeans  does  not  exceed  one  hun- 
dred ; but  they  are  sufficient  to  maintain  order  even  in 
such  a mixed  population.  There  might  be  a different 
story  were  it  not  for  the  presence  of  war-vessels  and  the 
cannon  of  the  fortress,  which  overlook  the  town  as  well 
as  command  the  strait. 

The  harbor  is  on  the  east  side  of  the  island,  completely 
sheltered  from  the  monsoons,  which  never  are  violent  in 
this  region.  We  sight  the  island  before  the  sun  goes 


ACROSS  THE  BAY  OF  BENGAL 


225 


10* 


o 


226 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


down,  but  it  is  nearly  ten  o’clock  before  we  drop  anchor 
in  the  harbor.  We  do  not  regret  it,  for  we  sail  over  a 
phosphorescent  sea. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

PENANG. 

E are  surrounded  by  boats,  which  put  out  from  the 


landing,  and  long  before  we  can  discern  the  dusky 
forms  of  the  rowers,  or  the  outline  of  the  craft,  we  can  see 
their  oars  dip  up  the  liquid  light ! Every  fish  darting 
through  the  water  carries  a torch.  We  behold  lines  of 
light  curving  and  turning,  now  slow,  now  darting  with 
the  rapidity  of  lightning,  line  cutting  across  line  in  end- 
less streams.  A shower  comes  on,  and  every  rain-drop 
turns  to  fire  as  it  touches  the  sea,  as  if  a hand  unseen 
were  sowing  the  deep  with  diamonds  ! Hour  after  hour 
we  gaze  in  wonder  and  delight.  The  boats  have  gone  to 
the  shore ; the  steamer  swings  at  her  moorings  ; the  tide 
is  setting  past ; as  the  eddies  come  and  go,  we  behold  as 
it  were  the  umvinding  of  webs,  the  unfolding  of  scrolls  of 
light  over  the  broad  surface  of  the  deep. 

In  the  morning  we  find  ourselves  lying  east  of  a low 
fort,  — a green  esplanade  in  front,  the  town  south  of  it, 
two  church-spires  outlined  against  the  dark  green  of  the 
mountain  beyond,  which  rises  two  thousand  feet  high. 
A few  vessels  are  anchored  in  the  harbor,  hundreds  of 
row-boats  around  us,  a Chinese  junk  near  by. 


“ O hundred  shores  of  happy  climes. 


How  swiftly  streamed  ye  by  the  bark  ! 


At  times  the  whole  sea  burned,  at  times 
With  wakes  of  fire  we  tore  the  dark.” 


PENANG. 


227 


We  have  reached  the  western  verge  of  the  Flowery- 
Land.  We  might  say  that  that  land  had  bloomed  over 
its  own  borders,  and  its  blossoms  had  fallen  here.  Our 
waiters  on  the  steamer  are  Celestials  with  pigtails. 

We  go  ashore  in  a boat  rowed  by  a Chinaman  with  a 
hat  three  feet  in  diameter,  shaped  like  the  cover  of  a 
huge  sugar-bowl.  His  sampan,  or  boat,  has  two  eyes 
painted  at  the  bow. 


“no  have  eyes,  no  can  see.” 


“ Why  do  you  have  eyes  to  your  sampan  ? ” we  ask. 

“No  have  eyes,  no  can  see,”  is  the  reply  of  the  good- 
natured  fellow,  who  puts  on  a broad  grin  every  time  we 
look  at  him. 

A Malayan  duck-pedler  — a lad  with  a large  basket 
filled  with  the  fowls  — is  on  the  pier  when  we  land, 
ready  to  drive  a good  bargain.  He  has  obtained  a cast- 
off English  soldier’s  cap,  of  which  he  is  as  proud  as  an 
American  juvenile  with  a pair  of  new  boots.  He  has  a 
pleasing  countenance,  and  is  bright  enough  to  drive  a 
sharp  trade  with  the  steward. 


228 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


We  land  at  a little  jetty,  or  pier,  the  only  one  of  the 
port.  The  water  is  deep  enough  to  admit  our  steamer 
alongside ; hut  this  pier  is  never  put  to  such  a vulgar  use 

as  the  loading  or  un- 
loading of  merchan- 
dise. It  is  reserved 
for  his  Excellency 
the  Governor,  who 
lives  at  Singapore, 
and  who  visits  the 
place  once  a year 
to  see  how  Penang 
is  getting  on.  His 
puissant  mightiness 
has  ordered  that  no 
vessel  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  drop  an- 
chor within  five 
hundred  yards  of 
the  pier.  He  can- 
not have  it  contam- 
inated by  being 
made  the  depot  of 
rice,  sugar,  and  oth- 
er merchandise,  nor 
can  he  be  bothered, 
although  he  comes  only  once  in  a twelvemonth,  by  having 
a steamer  or  a ship  in  the  way  of  his  landing.  When  he 
arrives,  the  cannon  of  the  fort  boom  their  loudest  thun- 
ders, and  all  Penang  stands  trembling  in  his  presence. 

Arrogance  flourishes  out  here.  It  grows  luxuriantly 
in  English  soil,  and  loses  none  of  its  vigor  by  trans- 
planting. 

Penang  has  one  hotel.  Our  captain’s  recommendation 
of  it  is  laconic,  if  not  elegant.  “ You  will,”  said  he,  “ find 
it  a mean,  dirty,  stinking  hole.” 


POULTRY  BOY. 


PENANG. 


229 


Eiding  up  a broad  avenue,  with  palms  rustling  above 
us,  bananas  bending  with  fruit,  and  gorgeous  flowers  in 
full  bloom,  filling  the  air  with  fragrance,  we  arrive  at 
the  establishment,  — an  airy  bungalow,  open  on  all  sides, 
to  admit  the  breeze. 

Over  the  entrance  is  a painting  intended  to  represent 
the  three  ostrich-plumes  and  crest  of  the  Prince  of  Wales, 
and  beneath  it  a golden-lettered  sign,  with  this  inscrip- 
tion, “ By  permission,  Hotel  Keeper  to  H.  E.  H.  Prince 
of  Wales ! ” Eegent  Street,  with  all  its  unicorns,  lions, 
griffins,  crowns,  and  crests,  cannot  display  a more  affect- 
ing example  of  flunkeyism.  The  Prince  never  has  been 
to  Penang,  nor  is  it  likely  he  will  ever  sleep  in  this 
bungalow ; nor  is  there  any  reason  to  suppose  he  will 
ever  buy  a saddle,  tooth-brush,  bug-poison,  or  anything 
else,  at  any  of  the  numerous  shops  in  old  England 
which,  by  special  permission  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain, 
are  allowed  to  keep  such  things  for  his  benefit ; but  it  is 
one  way  in  which  the  Britons  show  their  affectionate  and 
unswerving  loyalty.  This  wretched  daub  of  a sign  we 
are  to  consider  as  a standing  hurrah  of  the  hotel-keeper 
for  royalty  in  general,  and  Albert  Edward  in  particular. 

The  Europeans  here  are  engaged  in  the  spice  trade. 
The  warehouses  are  piled  with  boxes  and  sacks  of 
pimento.  Nearly  all  the  employees  in  the  mercantile 
establishments  are  Chinese,  who  make  expert  accountants 
and  bankers.  The  currency  is  the  Mexican  silver  dollar. 
Having  been  advised  to  exchange  rupees  for  coin  current 
in  China,  we  enter  a banking-house,  and  are  waited  on 
by  a Chinaman,  who  counts  out  our  change  with  great 
rapidity,  clinking  each  piece,  ascertaining  by  the  sound 
its  genuineness.  We  are  informed  that  they  are  as 
shrewd  and  competent  as  Europeans  in  all  business  mat- 
ters. 

A short  ride  enables  us  to  see  the  features  of  the  place : 


230 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


MALAY  HOUSE. 

The  houses  of  the  Malayans,  in  the  suburbs  of  the 
town,  are  built  on  posts  for  free  circulation  of  air,  to  in- 
sure dryness,  and  keep  out  snakes  and  vermin,  as  well 
as  other  like  intruders.  The  entrance  is  by  a ladder, 
which  is  a favorite  lounging-place  for  the  mistress  of  the 
establishment,  who  has  no  great  amount  of  housework  to 
do.  Her  parlor,  dining,  sleeping  room,  and  kitchen  are 
one  and  the  same. 

Until  recently  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  steamers 


the  fort,  with  low  walls  and  finely  kept  esplanade ; wide 
avenues,  well  watered,  bordered  by  the  elegant  residences 
of  the  few  Europeans  ; narrower  streets,  crowded  with 
Chinese  shops,  joss-houses,  stalls  for  the  sale  of  the 
betel-leaf,  toddy-shops,  where  the  Chinamen  drink  Sam- 
shu  and  Bhang,  — liquors  made  from  rice  and  hemp ; 
opium  hells,  where  they  become  oblivious  to  the  cares 
and  troubles  of  life  by  smoking  themselves  into  a state 
of  beastly  stupefaction. 


PENANG. 


231 


between  Ceylon  and  China  have  called  at  this  port,  but 
now  they  pass  it  by,  saving  a day  in  the  trip.  It  is  a 
damaging  blow  to  the  prospects  of  the  Europeans,  who 
remain  here  only  for  the  purpose  of  trade.  Occasionally 
a steamer  calls  on  its  way  from  Singapore  to  Rangoon  on 
the  Burmah  coast,  and  the  Calcutta  and  China  steamers 
make  the  port ; but  there  is  not  much  life  in  the  colony, 
and  its  future  prospects  are  not  very  hopeful. 

Once  more  on  board,  we  have  a run  of  three  hundred 
and  thirty  miles  down  the  Malay  coast  before  reaching 
Singapore.  We  have  an  unruffled  sea,  the  coast  in  view 
nearly  all  the  way ; now  low,  flat,  and  uninteresting,  and 
now  beautiful,  with  groves  of  palms,  cocoa,  nutmeg,  and 
cinnamon ; bold  headlands,  high  mountains,  clothed  with 
varying  shades  of  green.  It  is  not  till  we  are  near  Singa- 
pore that  we  catch  sight  of  Sumatra, — a low  shore  covered 
with  tropical  vegetation,  and  beyond,  through  the  haze, 
the  peaks  of  mountains  which  rise  ten  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea. 

An  English  gentleman,  who  takes  passage  for  Sin- 
gapore, is  enthusiastic  in  praise  of  the  dorian,  which 
grows  upon  the  island. 

“You  shall  have  a taste  of  it,  sir,  at  dinner,”  he  says, 
pointing  to  a basket  containing  several  dorians.  They 
are  oval-shaped,  and  about  the  size  of  a pineapple. 

“ That  is  the  husk,”  he  adds,  “ the  fruit  lies  within. 
It  is  like  custard,  flavored  with  pineapple  and  strawberry. 
It  is  the  most  delicious  fruit  in  the  world.  My  boys  here 
will  eat  it  from  morning  till  night.  I myself  am  extrava- 
gantly fond  of  it.” 

“Prepare  yourself,”  said  the  captain,  “for  a stench 
worse  than  any  that  ever  entered  your  nostrils.” 

“ Nonsense  ! The  first  odor  may  not  be  agreeable,  but 
I am  sure  you  will  like  it.” 

“ If  you  don’t  hold  your  nose  I shall  be  mistaken, 


232 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


that ’s  all.  Think  of  all  the  disgusting,  ill-smelling,  un- 
savory, nauseating,  stinking  things  in  the  world,  — fried 
onions,  stewed  garlic,  burnt  feathers,  singed  hair,  assafce- 
tida,  all  sorts  of  doctor’s  stuff,  and  the  odor  of  skunks  V ’ 
responds  the  captain. 

Such  conflicting  opinions  excite  curiosity,  if  not  ap- 
petite. 

Dinner  comes ; and,  the  meat  and  puddings  disposed 
of,  we  await  the  dessert.  A passenger  upon  the  opposite 
side  of  the  table,  a full-blooded  Englishman,  suddenly 
begins  to  sniff  the  air. 

“ What  infernal  stench  is  that ! ” is  his  first  exclamation. 
“ I should  think  that  the  steward  had  got  hold  of  a bad 
egg,”  he  adds,  looking  towards  the  pantry,  and  twisting 
his  face  into  an  expression  of  the  utmost  disgust. 

The  odor  becomes  intense,  permeating  the  cabin  and 
extending  to  every  state-room.  Handkerchiefs  are  brought 
into  requisition ; and  now  the  steward  enters,  holding  a 
plate  in  one  hand  and  his  nose  with  the  other.  He  drops 
the  plate  upon  the  table  without  ceremony,  and  goes  out 
upon  the  run,  the  liberated  hand  clapped  suddenly  upon 
his  stomach,  as  if  to  keep  his  internal  machinery  all 
right. 

“ Are  you  going  to  try  it  ? ” 

“ Pitch  in.” 

“After  you.” 

“ Goodness  gracious  ! what  a stench  ! ” 

“ Minks  and  muskrats  ! ” 

“ Worse  than  that,  — ferrets  and  polecats  !” 

Each  waits  for  his  neighbor  to  begin.  It  requires  some 
effort  to  keep  the  stomach  from  turning  inside  out.  But 
we  are  travelling  to  see  what  is  worth  seeing,  to  eat 
what  is  wrnrth  eating ; and  as  the  Penang  gentleman  is 
swallowing  the  fruit  as.  if  it  were  the  daintiest  delicacy 
in  the  world,  we  determine  to  tiy  it,  though  conscious 


SINGAPORE. 


233 


all  eyes  at  table  are  watching  the  result  of  the  experi- 
ment. 

There  is  nothing  that  in  the  realization  so  belies  the 
promise  as  the  dorian.  The  edible  part  is  like  custard 
flavored  with  pineapple  and  strawberry,  but  the  final 
taste  that  of  garlic. 

“ How  do  you  like  it  ? ” 

“ What  does  it  taste  like  ? ” 

“ Is  it  good  ? ” 

Such  are  the  questions  ; then  others,  growing  bolder 
nerve  themselves  to  try  it,  — some  to  succeed,  others  to 
follow  the  steward  to  the  gangway,  and  throw  their  dinner 
to  the  fishes.  One  of  the  passengers  seizes  the  basket 
containing  the  remainder  of  the  fruit,  and  tosses  it  over- 
board, while  the  steward  sprinkles  the  cabin  with  disin- 
fecting fluid. 

The  seventy  distinct  smells  of  Cologne,  if  condensed 
into  a single  bottle,  could  not  be  more  nauseating  than 
the  odor  of  the  dorian.  Yet  it  is  a favorite  fruit  at  Pe- 
nang ; and  the  children  of  the  European  residents,  like 
Oliver  Twist  at  the  parish  workhouse,  hold  up  their 
plates  for  more. 


CHAPTER  XX YII. 

SINGAPORE. 

WE  pass  the  town  of  Malacca,  on  the  main-land,  with 
the  British  flag  flying  from  the  fort.  Chinese 
junks  and  native  craft  lie  in  the  harbor.  The  population 
numbers  about  seventy  thousand,  two  thirds  of  whom  are 
Malays.  A few  Europeans  reside  there,  but  tire  trade  of 
the  place  is  mostly  in  the  hands  of  the  Chinese. 


234 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Singapore,  or  “the  town  of  lions,”  is  situated  on  an 
island  at  the  easterly  entrance  to  the  Straits  of  Malacca, 
and  forms  the  extreme  limit  of  the  long,  narrow  penin- 
sula that  projects  from  the  continent  of  Asia  one  thou- 
sand miles  southward.  It  is  about  seventy  miles  north  of 
the  equator.  No  port  on  the  globe  is  more  conveniently 
situated  for  ocean  travel.  It  is  on  the  great  thoroughfare 
of  Eastern  commerce,  all  of  which,  passing  from  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  or  from  Suez  and  India,  to  China,  must 
make  the  Straits  of  Malacca  or  those  of  Sunda.  In  either 
case  vessels  pass  near  Singapore. 

The  island  is  about  twenty-seven  miles  long  and  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  broad,  separated  from  the  main-land  by  a 
strait  that  in  many  places  is  not  more  than  one  fourth 
of  a mile  wide,  so  that  this  island  is  substantially  a part 
of  the  peninsula. 

It  is  early  morning  when  we  steam  into  the  harbor, 
feeling’  our  way  slowly  along  a passage  that  winds 
among  numerous  small  islands.  The  main  channel  is 
farther  south,  but  this  up  which  we  pass  to  the  new 
harbor,  though  narrow,  has  deep  water,  and  is  navigable 
for  large  steamers.  We  look  up.  inlets  and  into  shel- 
tered coves,  and  see  huts  standing  on  bamboo  posts 
driven  into  the  mud.  The  tide  ebbs  and  flows  beneath 
them.  Tethered  to  the  posts  are  the  small  boats  of  the 
fishermen,  whose  families  live  in  these  frail  structures. 

Emerging  from  the  network  of  islands,  and  making  a 
wide  sweep  to  avoid  a coral  reef,  we  have  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  the  crescent-shaped  harbor,  filled  with  English 
and  American  vessels,  which  have  stopped  here  for  fresh 
supplies  on  their  way  to  or  from  China.  Several  steam- 
ers are  at  anchor.  One  iron  screw,  just  in  from  Manila, 
is  taking  in  coal  for  her  long  stretch  across  the  Indian 
Ocean  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  thence  to 
Liverpool,  under  contract  to  make  the  distance  between 


SINGAPORE. 


235 


Manila  and  the  Mersey  in  seventy  days,  or  forfeit  five 
dollars  per  ton  for  every  day  exceeding  the  time  speci- 
fied. Another  steamer  has  its  flag  flying  at  the  peak,  as 
a signal  for  departure,  and  a few  hours  hence  will  he 
running  down  the  coast  of  Sumatra  for  Batavia,  three 
days  distant. 

The  harbor  is  alive  with  boats,  — junks  just  in  from 
China,  and  Malay  craft  such  as  formerly  were  manned 
by  pirates,  ever  on  the  watch  for  ships  passing  through 
the  straits.  Many  a noble  vessel  lies  beneath  these 
waters,  captured  by  them  in  years  gone  by.  But  piracy 
has  been  entirely  suppressed  in  these  seas,  and  this  once 
dreaded  section  of  the  Indian  Archipelago  is  now  as  free 
from  the  sea-rovers  as  the  Atlantic.  The  latest  piracies 
were  committed  by  Captain  Semmes.  Sailing  out  of  this 
port,  cheered  by  the  British  residents,  almost  within  sight 
of  the  town,  he  plundered  and  burned  three  American 
vessels. 

We  pass  small  islands  covered  with  cocoas  and  palms, 
with  leaves  so  broad  that  Mother  Eve,  if  she  could  have 
had  them,  would  have  required  but  two  to  make  her  a 
complete  garment.  The  town  is  level ; but  behind  it  rise 
hills  two  or  three  hundred  feet  high,  one  of  them  sur- 
mounted by  a fort  and  marine  telegraph  station.  Shady 
nooks  and  charming  retreats  abound.  We  have  perpetual 
spring,  — no  winter  nor  summer  nor  autumn ; a tem- 
perature almost  unvarying ; showers  nearly  every  day ; 
verdure  luxuriant,  new  leaves  always  swelling  from  the 
bud, t flowers  always  in  bloom  ; the  sim  rising  and  setting 
within  a minute  or  two  of  six  o’clock  the  year  round,  — 
for  we  are  only  seventy  miles  from  the  equator ; balmy 
breezes  laden  with  sweet  odors  from  the  nutmeg-groves  ; 
tides  and  currents  sweeping  past,  between  the  China  Sea 
and  the  Bay  of  Bengal.  There  are  few  places  that  have 
so  unvarying,  attractive,  and  healthy  a climate. 


236 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  street  fruit- 
sellers  of  Singa- 
pore have  seen  our 
entrance  to  the  har- 
bor, and  are  wait- 
ing on  the  wharf 
to  supply  us  with 
dorians,  bananas, 
mangosteens,  and 
pineapples.  After 
our  experience  with 
the  dorian,  we  do 
not  care  to  lay  in 
a fresh  supply  of 
that  Malayan  pro- 
duction, hut  the 
other  fruits  are 
juicy,  cooling,  de- 

FRUITS  OF  MALACCA.  licioUS 

The  population  of  the  place,  by  the  latest  enumeration, 
was  as  follows : — 


Chinese  .... 

58,000 

Malays 

. 13,500 

'East  Indians 

12,700 

Asiastics  . 

. 6,500 

Europeans 

6,000 

Total  . 

. 96,700 

It  is  rapidly  increasing  by  the  influx  of  Chinese,  and  the 
town  is  supposed  to  contain  more  than  one  hundred  thou- 
sand inhabitants  at  the  present  time.  Being  a free  port, 
it  has  a large  trade.  Goods  to  the  value  of  fifteen  million 
dollars  per  annum  are  imported,  which  are  supplied  to  the 
surrounding  islands.  The  exports  are  six  or  seven  mil- 


SINGAPORE 


237 


lions.  It  is  a great  nutmeg  mart.  Coffee  is  raised  here  in 
large  quantities,  which  is  sold  as  prime  old  Java  ! 

The  streets  of  the  town  are  wide  and  straight;  the 
houses  and  shops  mainly  of  two  stories,  covered  with 
tiles.  The  signs  are  in  Chinese  characters,  and  nearly 
every  person  we  meet  has  a pigtail.  The  scenes  are  new 
and  strange  ; — men  with  hats  three  feet  in  diameter,  the 
crown  running  up  to  a point  like  a cupola,  others  tunnel- 
shaped, others  like  reversed  wash-bowls  ; men,  with  a 
strip  of  blue  cotton  cloth  round  the  loins,  trip  past, 
walking  briskly,  carrying  buckets  and  baskets,  tubs  and 
pails,  suspended  from  a light,  springing  bamboo  laid 
across  their  shoulders.  These  are  the  market-men.  Look- 
ing into  the  shops,  we  see  all  crafts  and  trades.  There 
are  shoemakers,  joiners,  carpenters,  washermen,  bakers  ; 
and  opium  saloons,  reeking  with  sickening  odors.  We 
drive  into  the  square  where  Europeans  principally  con- 
gregate, and  find  it  laid  out  with  shade-trees,  flowering- 
shrubs,  and  gravelled  walks,  and  surrounded  by  ware- 
houses. Young  men  from  England  are  here  to  make 
their  fortunes  in  trade.  They  are  dressed  in  white 
pants  and  black  jackets,  — the  orthodox  business  cos- 
tume for  this  climate. 

They  have  not  lost  their  taste  for  ale,  their  time 
seeming  to  be  about  equally  divided  between  their 
desks  in  the  coimting-houses  and  the  saloons  of  the 
liquor-dealers. 

The  public  square  is  a pleasant  business  place,  though 
business  does  not  seem  to  be  very  lively.  No  one  moves 
with  vigor.  The  climate  takes  all  energy  out  of  a Euro- 
pean in  a short  time.  The  merchants  gather  in  groups 
beneath  the  grateful  shade,  and  talk  business  and  take 
things  easily.  In  the  side  streets  are  numerous  dram- 
shops for  the  sailors.  The  “Jolly  Tar,”  the  “Sailors’ 
True  Home,”  display  the  Stars  and  Stripes  close  beside 


238 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


the  Cross  of  St.  George.  The  little  salt  creek  which 
divides  the  town  swarms  with  Chinese  boats.  Families 
live  afloat  in  these  small  craft,  the  only  shelter  from  sun 
and  rain  being  a piece  of  matting. 

We  have  reached  the  land  of  pigs.  A Chinaman  has 
no  scruples  about  eating  pork,  — none  of  the  prejudices 
of  the  Mohammedan,  the  Jew,  and  the  Hindoo.  He  is  as 
fond  of  it  as  a native  of  Arkansas.  Pigs  roam  the  streets 
and  devour  the  garbage,  doing  here  such  scavenger  work 
as  is  done  by  the  dogs  of  Constantinople,  Cairo,  and 
Damascus,  and  the  cranes  and  kites  of  Calcutta. 

The  grounds  around  the  English  residences  are  taste- 
fully laid  out,  and  adorned  with  shrubs  and  flowers  in 
great  variety.  Nowhere  have  we  seen  such  profusion 
and  richness  of  vegetation.  It  flourishes  with  such 
vigor  that  it  is  almost  impossible  to  keep  the  gravelled 
walks  and  flower-beds  free  from  grass  and  weeds. 

“ Don’t  fail  to  see  the  Chinaman’s  garden,”  is  the  in- 
junction of  a gentleman  on  the  steamer.  Taking  a car- 
riage, we  ride  through  the  town,  past  the  government 
buildings,  - — large  and  imposing  edifices,  looming  grandly 
from  the  bay,  — past  two  very  pretty  churches,  and  resi- 
dences of  merchants,  surrounded  by  well-kept  grounds, 
shaded  with  tropical  trees,  and  beautified  by  gorgeous 
flowers  of  every  hue.  Upon  the  road  we  meet  crowds  of 
Chinese,  going  to  or  returning  from  market ; some  halt- 
ing at  the  tea-shops  to  drink  their  favorite  beverage,  or  at 
the  opium  saloons  to  whiff  the  fumes  of  the  stupefying 
drug. 

Never  rode  we  through  an  avenue  so  beautiful  as 
that  leading  to  the  “ Whampoa  Gardens.”  Stately  palms, 
wild  almonds,  tall,  feathery  bamboos,  and  trees  of  un- 
known  name,  line  the  roadway,  spreading  out  their 
branches  overhead,  their  trunks  wreathed  with  creeping 
plants.  Orchids  and  wild  heliotrope  bloom  in  the  thick 


SINGAPORE. 


239 


hedges : shrubs,  plants,  vines,  in  endless  variety,  broad 
and  narrow  leaved,  ovate,  heart-shaped,  trifoliate,  — leaf 
. and  flowers  filling  the  air  with  odors  new  and  strange, 
and  almost  overpowering. 

A ride  of  about,  two  miles  brings  us  to  the  residence  of 
a Chinaman  who  has  made  a large  fortune  by  trade  at 
Singapore,  and  who,  instead  of  returning  to  his  native 
land,  as  most  of  his  countrymen  are  in  the  habit  of  doing, 
has  made  this  his  permanent  home.  He  loves  floricul- 


AVENUE  AT  SINGAPORE. 


ture,  and  has  spent  a great  deal  of  money  in  fitting  up  his 
residence  and  the  grounds  around  it.  A tall  fellow,  with 
thin  face,  lantern -jaws,  long  pigtail,  wearing  a blue  cot- 
ton tunic  and  flowing  trousers  and  Chinese  hat,  escorts 
us  through  the  grounds,  to  which  we  have  free  admission. 
The  proprietor  is  sick,  otherwise  he  would  himself  show 
us  the  rare  tropical  plants  and  flowers. 

The  grounds  are  not  laid  out  in  accordance  with  the 
rules  of  landscape  gardening  given  by  English  and  Amer- 


240 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ican  florists.  The  premises  contain  a dozen  acres, — 
gardens  within  gardens,  — with  arbors,  tea-houses,  and 
canals,  and  tanks  stocked  with  goldfish.  There  are 
straight  paths,  winding  walks,  and  labyrinths,  a wonder- 
ful variety  of  tropical  vegetation,  — a place  where  the 
florist  or  botanist  might  find  unspeakable  pleasure.  Our 
conductor  brings  us  to  a section  of  the  grounds  where 
dogs,  dragons,  hobgoblins,  and  crocodiles,  with  great 
goggle  eyes,  stare  at  us,  — fashioned  from  a twining 
shrub,  that  is  hedged  in  and  clipped  off,  trained  on  wires, 
and  thus  tortured  into  fantastic  shapes. 

Passing  through  one  of  the  tea-houses,  we  find  that  the 
proprietor  has  Italian  vases,  French  clocks,  Japanese 
carved  work,  windows  of  German  stained  glass,  floors  of 
English  encaustic  tiles,  flower-pots  from  the  potteries  of 
his  native  land,  arranged  with  little  taste  or  order.  A 
Chinaman’s  ideas  of  the  artistic  are  grotesque.  The  pic- 
tures which  we  see  on  China-ware  are  excellent  represen- 
tations of  Chinese  art.  They  have  not  advanced  beyond 
the  child’s  plain  surface  drawing,  and  have  no  compre- 
hension of  the  rules  of  perspective. 

The  chief  attractions  of  the  garden  are  the  monster 
Victoria  rcgias,  which  here  reach  their  full  development 
in  the  open  air.  Flocks  of  waterfowl  are  sitting  on  the 
leaves  of  the  plants,  which  are  large  and  strong  enough 
to  bear  up  a child. 

Here  we  behold  the  gigantic  fan-palm  flourishing  with 
wonderful  vigor,  the  stems  of  the  leaves  radiating  from  the 
tall  trunk  like  the  sticks  of  a fan,  each  leaf  seven  or  eight 
feet  in  length.  In  that  charming  child-romance  of  Paul 
and  Virginia  the  lad  carries  such  a leaf  to  protect  his 
fair  companion  from  the  sun  and  rain.  The  natives  of 
Malacca  know  nothing  of  Paul  and  his  exploits,  but  they 
are  well  acquainted  with  the  palm,  and  we  see  hucksters 
by  the  road  sheltering  themselves  from  the  sun  beneath  a 
single  leaf. 


SINGAPORE. 


241 


On  one  side  of  the  garden  is  a hospital  for  hogs.  The 
owner  of  the  grounds  is  a believer  in  the  Buddhist  re- 
ligion, and  holds  to  the  transmigration  of  souls.  Enter- 


FAN-PALM. 


ing  the  pigsty,  we  behold  about  a dozen  fat  porkers. 
The  owner  keeps  them  in  excellent  condition  ; they  have 
enough  to  eat  and  are  well  cared  for,  inasmuch  as  the 
spirit  of  his  father  may  be  inhabiting  one  of  them,  his 
grandfather  another  ! A deceased  elder  brother  may  be 
inhabiting  the  body  of  the  baboon  that  gnashes  his  teeth 
at  us,  and  rattles  the  chain  which  confines  him  to  one  of 
the  posts  of  the  building.  Of  the  beast,  beastly  ; yet  the 
religion  which  inculcates  such  a belief  is  accepted  by  one 
third  of  the  human  race  ! 

The  Chinese  are  great  money-getters.  Merchants  and 
servants  are  equally  thrifty  The  attendant  who  conducts 
us  through  the  garden  holds  out  his  hand  for  money  just 
as  eagerly  and  naturally  and  unblushingly  as  if  he  were 
a verger  of  Westminster  Abbey  or  Salisbury  Cathedral, 
n ” p 


242 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Our  coachman  demands  four  dollars  fare,  though  entitled 
to  but  one.  He  appeals  to  our  sympathies  by  panto- 
mimic signs,  pressing  his  hands  upon  his  belly,  giving 
us  to  understand  that  there  is  a vacuum  inside.  He  looks 
upon  foreigners  as  legitimate  prey ; but  the  police  regu- 
lations are  very  strict,  and  at  the  mention  of  the  word 
“ police,”  he  becomes  civil,  respectful,  and  contented  with 
his  due. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

LIFE  IN  MALACCA. 

LOXG  the  sea-shore  are  low  lands,  with  dense 


thickets  of  mangroves,  — shrubs  with  dark-green 
leaves,  and  a tangled  network  of  roots.  These  shrubs  at 
night  are  luminous  with  myriads  of  fire-flies.  The  thicket 
not  only  sparkles,  but  at  times  glows  with  light.  A 
favorite  amusement  with  the  .Chinese  boys  is  throwing 
clubs  among  the  shrubs,  and  watching  the  sudden  flashes. 
The  Malayan  maidens,  on  gala-nights,  to  make  them- 
selves more  attractive,  wear  “ lightning-bugs  ” in  their 
hair  ! The  women  of  Malacca  have  soft,  lustrous  eyes, 
drooping  lashes,  and  countenances  indicative  of  kind 
dispositions.  They  are  modest  in  their  deportment,  and 
dress  neatly  and  tastefully.  They  protect  themselves 
from  the  sun  by  an  enormous  cheese-shaped  head-gear, 
which,  though  two  feet  in  diameter  and  six  inches  thick, 
is  light  and  airy. 

The  men  are  well-proportioned,  full-limbed,  with  dark- 
brown  eyes  and  smooth  copper-colored  skins.  They  can 
be  firm  friends  or  malignant  enemies.  They  are  naturally 


LIFE  IN  MALACCA. 


243 


affectionate,  but  being  Mohammedans,  they  have  accepted 
the  worst  features  of  the  faith  of  Islam,  — hostility  to  all 
other  religions. 


The  road  which  leads  across  the  island  to  a little  place 
called  Selita,  — a resort  of  the  Europeans  for  rest  and 
recreation,  — passes  through  a Malayan  forest.  Trees 
six  feet  in  diame- 
ter rear  their  lofty 
trunks  one  hundred 
feet  above  us.  They 
throw  out  their 
stout  branches  and 
lock  arms  with  their 
neighbors,  forming 
a delightful  arcade. 

Of  less  height  are 
the  dorian,  mango- 
steen,  and  jack, — 
fruit-bearing  trees, 
iji  which  apes  and 
monkeys  chase  each 
other  from  limb  to 
limb ; where  paro- 
quets and  macaws, 
birds  of  paradise, 
and  others  of  bril- 
liant plumage,  chat- 
ter through  the 
day.  There  are 
shrubs  with  unknown  names,  herbaceous  plants  of  vari- 
eties unknown  beyond  the  tropics.  Parasitic  plants, 
drawing  their  life  from  the  stately  trees,  hang  in  dark 
masses  or  droop  in  graceful  festoons  from  the  bending 
limbs ; creepers,  clinging  to  the  rough  bark,  twine  up- 
ward with  their  tendrils  till  they  clasp  the  topmost 


MALAYAN  LADY. 


244 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


twigs  ; rattans,  no  larger  than  a walking-stick,  wand  them- 
selves around  the  towering  monarchs  of  the  forest,  reach 
the  highest  branches,  climb  along  the  interlaced  limbs 
from  tree  to  tree,  the  nourishing  juices  of  the  soil  giving 
life  to  leaves  three  hundred  feet  distant ! Mightier  than 
these  are  huge  twiners,  a foot  in  diameter,  encircling  with 
many  turns  the  trunks  as  they  ascend,  running  out  upon 
the  limbs,  dropping  to  the  ground,  striking  new  root, 
doubling  again  upon  themselves,  and  gathering  tree  after 
tree  in  their  folds,  as  the  serpents  wreathed  themselves 
about  Laocoon  and  his  sons.  It  is  always  night  in  such 
a jungle.  The  fiercest  rays  of  the  sun  cannot  penetrate 
the  gloom. 

Tigers  abound,  and  are  very  ferocious.  It  is  stated  that 
they  devour  a man  every  day.  A large  reward  is  offered 
for  every  tiger-skin.  The  most  successful  hunter  is  an 
American  named  Caroll,  who  lives  with  the  natives  and 
accommodates  himself  to  their  habits  of  life.  The  Euro- 
peans here  tell  wonderful  stories  of  his  exploits.  The 
jungle  is  too  dense  to  admit  of  regular  hunts,  and  he 
constructs  pitfalls.  He  knows  the  haunts  of  the  beast, 
captures  a cub  if  possible  when  the  tigress  is  away  after 
food,  and  places  it  in  the  pit,  to  which  its  cries  soon 
bring  the  mother. 

The  trapping  of  a tigress  is  a great  event.  The  natives 
from  the  surrounding  region  assemble  to  enjoy  the  ravings 
of  the  beast  in  its  vain  endeavors  to  escape.  Caroll  states 
that  the  tigress  secretes  her  cubs  from  the  male,  who,  if 
he  discovers  them,  makes  a breakfast  of  his  own  progeny. 
He  is  of  the  opinion  that  two  out  of  every  three  are 
thus  devoured.  He  looks  upon  this  propensity  on  the 
part  of  the  tiger  as  a happy  arrangement  in  the  econ- 
omy of  nature ; for  if  all  the  cubs  were  to  come  to 
maturity,  they  would  destroy  the  other  animals  and 
depopulate  the  island. 


LITE  IN  MALACCA. 


245 


Singapore  has  contributed  one  very  important  article 
to  the  commerce  of  the  world,  — gutta-percha.  Some- 
where about  twenty-five  years  ago  an  Englishman  noticed 
that  the  native  coachmen  had  very  curious  whip-stocks, 
which  they  said  were  made  from  the  juice  of  a tree.  He 
sent  some  of  them  to  London,  where  they  attracted  the 
attention  of  chemists  and  artisans,  and  the  article  was 
soon  brought  into  general  use.  The  discovery  was  made 
at  the  right  time,  for  without  gutta-percha  no  Atlan-  % 
tic  cable  could  have  been  laid,  and  the  whole  world  put 
into  instant  communication.  It  has  entered  largely  into 
the  arts  and  manufactures,  and  the  world  could  not  now 
well  dispense  with  it. 

The  natives  make  incisions  in  the  trees,  collect  the 
sap,  which  is  evaporated  in  the  sun.  When  reduced  to 
the  consistency  of  tar,  they  use  it  to  trap  tigers.  Hot 
long  since  a man  was  carried  off  from  one  of  the  villages 
by  a tigress,  and  partially  devoured.  Knowing  that  the 
beast  would  return  the  next  day  to  complete  its  meal, 
they  spread  a quantity  of  the  gutta-percha  in  the  vicinity, 
and  covered  it  with  chaff.  The  animal  came,  got  it  into 
his  mouth,  on  his  jaws,  into  his  eyes,  upon  his  body. 
He  soon  wrought  himself  into  the  condition  of  Hamlet’s 
uncle,  — growling,  roaring  his  wordless 

“ 0 limed  soul  that,  struggling  to  be  free. 

Art  more  engaged.” 

The  natives  gathered,  watched  awhile  his  ineffectual 
efforts  to  rub  it  off,  and  finally  dispatched  him. 

A few  years  ago  the  European  residents  engaged  in  the 
cultivation  of  nutmegs.  Success  attended  their  efforts 
for  a while ; but  the  trees  are  short-lived,  and  the  experi- 
ment lias  resulted  in  failure.  Pepper  is  still  cultivated 
by  the  Chinamen.  It  is  a plant  which  requires  constant 
attention,  but  is  made  profitable  by  this  patient,  pains- 
taking people. 


246 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  climate  of  Singapore  is  one  of  the  most  equable 
in  the  world.  The  mercury  seldom  sinks  below  70°, 
and  rarely  rises  above  90°. 

“ Eternal  summer  ” reigns.  The  days  are  not  all  cloud- 
less, for  sudden  showers  fall,  which  cool  the  air,  and 
give  fresh  vigor  to  the  exuberant  foliage.  The  rain-fall 
is  almost  double  that  of  the  United  States,  the  average 
being  eighty-seven  inches.  It  fell  on  one  hundred  and 
'eighty-four  out  of  the  three  hundred  and  sixty-five  days 
of  last  year.  The  monsoons,  which  are  so  powerful  and 
destructive  in  India,  are  not  felt  here ; neither  are  the 
cyclones  of  the  Indian  Ocean  nor  the  typhoons  of  the 
Chinese  Sea. 

There  are  few  localities  more  charming,  and  it  is  said 
to  be  an  excellent  climate  for  invalids.  The  variety  of 
vegetation,  its  luxuriance,  the  beauty  of  the  surround- 
ing waters,  the  wonderful  gardens  beneath  the  waves, 
the  workmanship  and  industry  of  the  coralline  insects, 
the  gorgeously-tinted  shells,  the  myriads  of  brilliant  in- 
sects which  sport  in  the  sunshine,  — make  it  attractive  to 
the  naturalist  as  well  as  the  pleasure-traveller. 

The  residents  here  tell  good  stories  of  the  ismo- 
ranee  and  stupidity  of  the  London  managers  of  the  old 
East  India  Company  in  regard  to  the  productions  and 
the  natural  history  of  Malacca.  There  was  a time 
when  the  English  preferred  white  pepper  to  black,  and 
orders  came  out  from  the  India  houses  to  their  agents 
here  to  pay  more  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  the  white 
plant,  not  being  aware  that  both  grow  on  the  same  tree, 
and  that  the  white  is  gathered  at  an  earlier  stage. 

More  ludicrous  is  another  story  of  what  the  London 
managers  proposed  to  do  with  the  white  ants.  One  year 
there  was  a deficit  in  the  exchequer,  and  the  agent  sug- 
gested that  the  white  ants  had  got  into  the  treasure- 
chest  and  carried  off  the  silver,  amounting  to  several 


FROM  SINGAPORE  TO  HONG  KONG. 


247 


thousand  dollars.  The  next  ship  from  England  brought 
a large  package  of  files,  and  a letter  of  instructions,  to 
the  effect  that,  as  the  white  ants  could  eat  their  way- 
through  everything,  men  must  be  employed  to  catch 
them  and  file  off  their  teeth  ! 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

FROM  SINGAPORE  TO  HONG  KONG. 

AT  Singapore  we  take  on  board  about  two  hundred 
Chinese,  men,  women,  and  children,  who  have 
been  making  money  here,  and  who  are  going  back  to 
their  native  land  to  enjoy  it.  While  sailing  up  the 
China  Sea  we  have  ample  time  and  an  excellent  oppor- 
tunity to  study  their  singular  traits  of  character.  They 
pay  twenty  dollars  each  for  a passage  to  Hong  Kong, 
boarding  themselves.  They  have  a vast  amount  of  bag- 
gage, — more  trunks  than  a devotee  of  fashion  on  her  way 
to  Newport.  Each  family  has  a small  portable  furnace, 
a bag  of  charcoal,  baskets  of  potatoes,  with  rice,  salt- 
fish,  shrimps,  crabs,  and  hampers  of  live  chickens  and 
ducks.  They  waste  nothing.  Standing  on  the  bridge 
of  the  steamer,  we  can  look  down  upon  the  crowd  pre- 
paring and  eating  their  breakfast.  Adi  sorts  go  into  the 
stew-pan,  — the  chicken  in  bits,  the  tongue,  the  comb, 
the  whole  body  down  to  the  toes,  even  the  intestines, 
after  being  well  washed  and  cleaned ! Then  bits  of 
dried  fish,  small  shrimps,  dried  crabs,  the  roe  of  fish, 
potatoes,  small  squashes,  and  other  vegetables  of  the 
tropics,  all  cut  into  small  pieces,  mixed,  stirred,  and 
cooked.  For  utilizing  odds  and  ends  of  food,  the  Chi- 
nese far  surpass  the  French. 


248 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


A Chinaman’s  habits  at  table  are  not  such  as  we  of 
the  West  are  accustomed  to.  He  holds  a bowl  of  stew 
or  rice  to  his  lips,  and  pokes  the  food  into  his  mouth 
with  bis  cliop-sticks.  The  sticks  are  a little  larger  than 
a pen-holder,  are  held  on  each  side  of  the  middle 

finger  of  the  right 
hand,  and  are  kept 
in  place  by  the 
thumb.  One  of  the 
men  before  us  uses 
them  for  stirring 
the  stew  while  it  is 
cooking ; also  as 
tongs,  picking  up 
bits  of  charcoal  to 
add  to  the  fire,  raps 
an  urchin  over  the 
head  with  them, 
punches  the  sides 
of  a little  shaggy 
puppy  who  helps 
himself  to  some  of 
the  stray  frag- 
ments, and  who  will 
go  into  the  stew- 
pan  himself  one  of 
these  days.  Not- 
withstanding this 
varied  use  of  the  sticks,  the  Chinaman,  without  taking 
the  trouble  to  wipe  them,  uses  them  while  eating  his 
breakfast. 

Their  curiosity  is  unbounded.  They  are  ingenious  in 
their  way  of  making  knick-knacks,  — puzzles,  porcelain, 
bamboo  chairs  and  baskets, — but  they  cannot  comprehend 
machinery.  They  are  never  weary  of  watching  the  mo- 


FROM  SINGAPORE  TO  HONG  KONG. 


249 


tions  of  the  engine,  and  gaze  by  the  hour,  with  all  the 
wonder  of  children,  upon  the  cranks,  wheels,  and  pis- 
tons, which  to  them  seem  to  be  alive.  Several 
years  agb,  when  steamers  first  appeared  in  Chinese 
waters,  the  ingenious  mechanics  of  Canton  resolved  to 
construct  a steamboat.  They  rigged  a junk  with  paddle- 
wheels,  put  up  a funnel,  painted  great  eyes  at  the  how, 
and  wondered  why  the  thing  did  n’t  start ! The  outside 
was  all  right,  but  the  motive  power  was  wanting. 

They  are  inveterate  gamesters.  Here  is  a group  which 
have  finished  their  breakfast,  and  are  prepared  to  spend 
the  day  in  gambling,  using  dominos.  They  stake  hut  a 
little,  — play  for  their  dinner  or  supper.  Many  of  these 
men  are  wealthy.  That  one  with  a blue  cotton  cloth 
about  his  loins  went  down  to  Singapore  years  ago  as  a 
cooly.  He  lived  at  the  cheapest  possible  rate;  his  rice 
may  have  cost  him  a cent  a day.  Out  in  the  harbor  were 
plenty  of  fish  which  he  could  catch  at  night.  A yard 
or  two  of  cotton  cloth  made  him  a suit  of  clothes  for  a 
year.  He  earned  a few  dollars,  left  off  carrying  coals 
and  bags  and  bundles,  and  became  a huckster ; and  now, 
as  he  lifts  the  lid  of  his  chest  to  get  money  to  pay  his 
fare,  we  see  a pile  of  silver  dollars.  He  is  rich,  and  is 
going  home  to  take  his  comfort.  He  .applied  for  a cabin 
passage,  was  ready  to  pay  the  regular  fare  of  one  hun- 
dred dollars,  but  being  only  half  clothed,  the  captain 
would  not  assign  him  a state-room. 

“ These  are  all  of  the  lowest  class,”  says  the  captain. 
“ The  upper  classes  of  China  wear  costly  clothing,  and 
would  deport  themselves  well  in  any  society.” 

The  people  of  China  look  with  pride  upon  their  nation- 
ality.  They  know  that  they  are  the  oldest  nation  under 
the  sun.  They  are  the  civilized  of  the  earth ; all  the 
rest  of  the  human  race  are  barb'ariafis.  They  speak  of 
Europeans  and  Americans  as  “ foreign  devils.”  The  epi- 


250 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


thet  was  applied  to  the  English  first  because  they  com- 
pelled China  to  take  opium.  They  are  men  and  we  are 
devils  : we  can  accomplish  what  they  cannot,  — can  make 
steamboats,  big  guns,  long-range  rifles,  revolvers,  and 
terrible  instruments  of  destruction.  A foreign  devil  is, 
therefore,  a creature  of  ability,  but  dreadfully  wicked. 

We  are  much  amused  by  the  appearance  of  one  of  the 
Chinese  women,  who  makes  herself  at  home  on  the  quar- 
ter-deck. She  wears  her  hair  in  the  Canton  style,  — heavy 

puffs  over  the  ears,  the 
back-hair  in  a mass,  a 
lock  upon  the  crown 
gathered  in  the  form 
of  a jug-handle,  the 
general  make-up  called 
by  foreigners  “ the  jug- 
liandle  pattern.” 

She  has  a retreating 
forehead,  flat  nose,  wide 
mouth,  high  cheek- 
bones, and  wears  a va- 
riety of  ornaments 
about  her  person.  By 
her  resolute  bearing 
she  evidently  would 
have  us  comprehend 
that  she  belongs  to  an 
ancient  and  honorable 
race.  She  has  opinions 
of  her  own,  and  is  not  afraid  to  declare  them. 

Placing  herself  in  front  of  Mrs.  C.,  she  addresses  her 
in  Chinese.  The  captain  understands  the  language,  and 
explodes  with  laughter. 

“ She  is  complimentary.  Would  you  like  to  know  what 
she  says  ? ” 


EXPRESSING  AN  OPINION. 


FROM  SINGAPORE  TO  HONG  KONG. 


251 


" Certainly.” 

“ She  has  the  happiness  to  inform  yon  that  you  are  a 
red-faced,  foreign  female  devil ! ” 

The  woman  enjoys  our  merriment,  and  joins  in  it 
heartily. 

Junks  are  multiplying  around  us,  — unwieldy,  clumsy 
craft,  with  sails  so  constructed  that  a reef  can  be  taken 
instantly  without  going  aloft ; not  one  reef,  but  a half- 
dozen  if  necessary,  reducing  the  mainsail  to  a small  bit 
of  canvas  when  the  storm  grows  wild.  The  junk-builders 
seem  to  have  no  particular  place  for  putting  the  masts. 
Sometimes  there  is  but  one,  which  is  amidships,  then 
there  is  a tall  mast  in  the  middle,  and  a short  one  at  the 
stern.  Now  we  come  in  sight  of  a craft  with  a short 
stump  of  a mast  at  the  extremity  of  the  bows,  a tall 
mainmast  in  the  centre,  a shorter  one  farther  aft,  and  a 
fourth  fastened  to  the  port  side  of  the  craft,  as  far  as  pos- 
sible astern.  It  can  be  unshipped  at  pleasure,  and  raised 
on  the  starboard  side  of  the  vessel.  A framework  like  a 
carpenter’s  staging  is  built  out  several  feet  over  the 
helm.  The  rudder  itself  is  a clumsy  affair  of  plank  and 
timber,  larger  than  that  of  a man-of-war. 

There  is  a lively  chatting  among  the  Chinese  passen- 
gers. They  are  nearing  home,  and  are  giving  thanks  to 
Joss  by  setting  gilt  paper  on  fire  and  throwing  it  over- 
board. They  are  packing  up  their  pots  and  kettles,  gath- 
ering together  their  baskets  and  boxes,  and  are  straining 
their  eyes  for  the  land. 

“ There  are  the  Ass’s  Ears,”  says  the  captain,  looking 
steadily  into  the  northwest. 

Turning  our  eyes  in  that  direction  we  see  two  black 
specks  on  the  horizon  ; a nearer  view  shows  that  they  are 
conical  hills,  which  rise  abruptly  from  the  sea.  Numer- 
ous other  islands  appear,  all  of  them  with  shores  so  bold 
that  we  can  run  within  cable’s  length  of  the  wave-washed 


252 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


rocks.  Tlie  Portuguese  called  them  the  Ladrones,  — the 
“ islands  of  thieves.”  Chinese  pirates  formerly  lived 
upon  them,  and  watched  their  opportunity  to  plunder 
native  or  foreign  craft.  The  English  have  suppressed 
piracy  at  Malacca,  but  the  freebooters  of  the  China  coast 
are  not  all  dead.  The  junks  which  are  in  sight  around 
us  are  all  armed,  for  fear  of  these  robbers  of  the  sea, 
which  even  now  occasionally  overhaul  stray  coasters. 
We  can  count  eight  cannon  on  the  deck  of  one,  ten  on 
another.  The  guns  vary  in  calibre.  No  Armstrong  or 
other  breech-loaders,  no  Parrott  or  Dalilgren,  but  old- 
fashioned  and  rusty  two,  four,  six,  and  eight  pounders ; 
also  fusees  a foot  long,  ancient  gingals,  such  as  were  in  use 
three  hundred  years  ago  among  Western  nations.  Some 
of  these  pieces  are  about  as  dangerous  at  the  breech  as  at 
the  muzzle.  The  old-cannon  trade  has  been  profitable  in 
China,  as  every  large  junk  is  armed ; and  the  amount  of 
old  iron  afloat,  if  melted  and  rolled  into  rails,  would  go 
far  towards  building  a road  from  one  end  of  China  to  the 
other. 

We  have  had  a heavy  sea  all  day,  and  dark  clouds,  with 
sharp  lightning  and  grand  thunderings.  For  seventeen 
days  the  Clan  Alpine  steamer  has  been  our  home ; and 
though  we  have  had  an  agreeable  captain,  good  service,  and 
smooth  seas  nearly  all  of  the  time,  it  is  with  pleasure  that 
we  find  ourselves,  on  Saturday  evening,  entering  the  har- 
bor of  Hong  Ivong.  We  go  in  by  the  northern  entrance. 
The  thunder-clouds  have  rolled  away,  the  full  moon  is 
rising  from  the  sea,  and  we  have  before  us  a grand  pano- 
rama, — high,  steep  hills,  green  from  the  sea-beach  to  the 
topmost  peak,  ledges  of  white  granite,  with  here  and  there 
patches  of  red  earth  on  the  hillsides.  Pounding  a point 
of  land,  a mountain  slope  gleaming  with  lights  bursts  into 
view.  We  glide  nearer,  threading  our  difficult  way  past 
ships  and  boats,  and  drop  anchor  at  ten  o’clock,  — too 
late  to  land  before  morning. 


GEOGRAPHY  AND  HISTORY  OF  CHINA. 


253 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

GEOGRAPHY  AND  HISTORY  OF  CHINA. 

IF  we  draw  a line  from  the  British  possessions  due 
south  through  Dakotah  and  Nebraska,  and  along  the 
western  boundary  of  Kansas  through  Texas  till  we  reach 
the  Rio  Grande,  and  follow  that  stream  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  we  have  in  the  territory  of  the  United  States  east 
of  that  line  an  area  about  as  large  as  that  embraced  in 
the  eighteen  provinces  of  China. 

The  entire  territory  of  the  United  States  contains  a 
population  of  about  thirty-five  millions,  while  that  of 
the  eighteen  provinces  is  peopled  by  about  four  hundred 
and  twenty  millions! 

The  Empire  of  China  includes  Manchuria  and  Corea 
on  the  north  and  northeast,  Mongolia  on  the  northwest, 
Turkestan  and  Thibet  on  the  west.  China  proper  contains 
about  one  million  three  hundred  thousand  square  miles,  the 
countries  enumerated  above  contain  three  million  seven 
hundred  thousand  additional  square  miles,  making  the 
total  area  under  Chinese  dominion  five  million  square 
miles.  This  domain  is  nearly  as  large  as  the  entire 
territory  of  the  United  States,  including  Alaska,  also 
the  Dominion  of  Canada,  the  Republic  of  Mexico,  and 
the  Central  American  States. 

These  passengers  who  are  cooking  their  dinner,  smok- 
ing opium,  and  playing  cards  speak  of  their  native  coun- 
try as  the  land  of  Chin,  Sin,  or  Sinae,  the  pronunciation 
varying  with  the  dialects  of  the  different  provinces. 
They  call  themselves  Chung  Kwah,  — “ natives  of  the 
Middle  Kingdom.”  Theirs  is  not  only  the  mightiest 


254 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


and  oldest  kingdom  on  earth,  but  it  is  the  centre  of 
civilization.  Their  empire  is  hoary  with  age.  Its  his- 
tory, literature,  science,  and  art  were  perfected  thousands 
of  years  ago.  It  has  been  the  centre  of  light  to  the 
world.  It  is  the  Hwa-Kwah,  — “ the  refined,”  “ the  culti- 
vated.” Its  civilization  was  blooming  like  a flower  when 
all  Europe  was  in  darkness,  even  before  what  we  call  an- 
cient civilization  had  taken  root  along  the  shores  of  the 
Mediterranean.  Thus  it  came  about  that  theirs  is  the 
“ Flowery,”  or  refined  kingdom.  More  than  that,  the 
rulers  of  the  land  belonged  in  ancient  times  to  a heavenly 
dynasty,  — they  ruled  by  right  divine  derived  from  the 
celestial  spheres. 

The  woman  who  addressed  Mrs.  C.  as  a foreign  devil 
used  the  term  contemptuously,  and  so  we  travellers  of  the 
West  pay  her  back  by  calling  her  a “ Celestial,”  ridiculing 
her  aspiring  pretensions. 

But  she  can  point  far  down  the  vista  of  time  and  show 
us  an  authentic  history  of  a nation  which  has  continued 
more  than  three  thousand  years.  She  might  narrate 
traditions  of  historical  events  which  are  said  to  have 
transpired  four  thousand  seven  hundred  years  ago,  in  the 
time  of  Fuhhi,  the  first  emperor.  According  to  the  chro- 
nology of  Archbishop  Usher,  that  period  of  time  would 
place  the  event  five  hundred  and  eight  years  before  the 
Deluge.  Among  the  successors  of  Fuhhi  was  Whang-ti. 
In  the  sixty-first  year  of  that  monarch’s  reign  one  of  the 
astronomers  of  China  established  the  sixty-year  cycle, 
which  has  been  continued  to  the  present  time.  The  sev- 
enty-sixth period  ended  1863.  Whang-ti  began  to  reign, 
therefore,  2758  B.  C.,  which  was  four  hundred  and  ten 
years  before  the  Flood,  as  calculated  by  Usher. 

The  Chinese  historian  Meng-tse  says  the  countiy  2204 
B.  C.  was  a desert ; the  lowlands  were  covered  with  water 
and  the  hills  with  trees.  Yau  caused  them  to  be  cut 


GEOGRAPHY  AND  HISTORY  OF  CHINA. 


255 


down,  and  the  swamps  drained.  He  was  a hard  worker, 
spending  all  his  time  directing  the  digging  of  ditches  and 
the  clearing  of  forests.  On  three  several  occasions  he 
tied  up  his  hair  while  taking  a hath,  so  that  he  might 
attend  to  business.  The  servants  on  the  steamer,  and 
the  whole  crowd  of 
Chinese  passengers, 
follow  his  illustri- 
ous example  by  coil- 
ing their  pigtails  on 
the  crown  of  the 
head  while  at  work, 
but  never  forgetting 
to  display  them  at 
full  length  during 
their  hours  of  rec- 
reation. 

The  Deluge,  as 
calculated  by  Usher, 
was  only  about  fifty 
years  earlier  than 
this  overflowing  of 
Northern  China,  and 

it  is  taken  for  giant-  CHINESE  servant. 

ed  by  some  scholars 

that  the  legends  of  the  Chinese  have  reference  to  that 
event.  A recent  writer,  who  is  conversant  with  the  liter- 
ature of  China,  says,  in  regard  to  these  annals : — 

“ The  earliest  records  of  the  Chinese  correspond  rather 
too  closely  with  their  present  character  to  receive  full 
belief ; but  while  they  may  be  considered  as  unworthy  of 
entire  confidence,  it  will  be  allowed  that  they  present  an 
appearance  of  probability  and  naturalness  hardly  pos- 
sessed by  the  early  annals  of  Greece.”  * 

* Confucius  and  the  Chinese  Classics,  p.  20. 


256 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Eussia  is  proud  of  Peter  the  Great,  Prussia  of  Frederic, 
and  China  points  with  equal  pride  to  the  Great  Yu,  who 
ascended  the  throne  2205  B.  C.  He  did  what  Yau  was 
not  able  to  accomplish,  — drained  the  lowlands  and  kept 
out  the  floods. 

The  historians  of  China  narrate  the  events  of  his  reign. 
Confucius,  writing  seventeen  centuries  later,  eulogizes 
that  sovereign.  On  one  of  the  mountains  of  Hang 
Sliang,  in  the  province  of  Shensi,  where  the  ancient  em- 
perors offered  annual  sacrifice,  is  an  inscription  cut  in 
the  solid  rock  which  relates  to  the  inundation  and  the 
labors  of  Yu  in  subduing  it.  No  one  knows  when  it 
was  engraved,  as  it  bears  no'  date ; but  it  is  conceded  to 
be  one  of  the  oldest  rock-cut  inscriptions  in  the  world, 
probably  cjuite  as  ancient  as  the  pictured  obelisk  of  He- 
liopolis. 

“ The  Hia  dynasty,  founded  by  Yu  the  Great,”  says  Mr. 
Loomis,  “ existed  four  hundred  and  thirty-nine  years 
down  to  1766  B.  C.,  under  seventeen  monarchs,  the  rec- 
ords of  whose  reigns  are  very  brief.  Among  the  contem- 
porary events  of  importance  are  the  call  of  Abraham, 
Jacob’s  flight  to  Mesopotamia,  and  Joseph’s  elevation  in 
Egypt. 

“ The  Shang  dynasty  began  with  Chingtang,  B.  C.  1766 
and  continued  six  hundred  and  forty-four  years,  under 
twenty-eight  sovereigns,  down  to  B.  C.  1122.  This  period 
■was  .characterized  by  wars  among  rival  princes,  and  the 
power  of  the  sovereign  depended  chiefly  upon  his  personal 
character.  The  principal  contemporary  events  were  the 
exodus  of  the  Israelites,  their  settlement  in  Palestine, 
judgeship  of  Othniel,  Deborah,  Gideon,  Samson,  and 
Samuel.  The  first  monarch  of  this  dynasty,  Chingtang, 
is  reputed  to  have  paid  religious  worship  to  Shangti,  the 
Supreme  Euler. 

“ The  Chau  dynasty  began  with  Wu  Wang,  and  contin- 


GEOGRAPHY  AND  HISTORY  OF  CHINA. 


257 


tied  for  eight  hundred  and  seventy-three  years,  under 
thirty-five  monarchs,  down  to  B.  C.  249,  — the  longest  of 
any  recorded  in  history.  The  sway  of  many  of  these  was 
little  more  than  nominal,  and  the  feudal  states  increased 
or  diminished  according  to  the  vigor  of  the  monarch  or 
the  ambition  of  the  princes.  Among  the  feudal  states 
under  the  house  of  Chau,  that  of  Tsin  on  the  Northwest 
had  long  been  the  most  powerful,  occupying  nearly  a fifth 
of  the  country,  and  its  inhabitants  forming  a tenth  of  the 
whole  population. 

“ Mention  has  been  made  of  the  burning  of  the  Ancient 
Books,  by  the  founder  of  the  Tsin  dynasty.  It  oc- 
curred about  212  B.  C.,  and  is  always  referred  to  as  the 
greatest  disaster  of  ancient  times ; and  with  it  was 
coupled  the  slaughter  of  many  of  the  literati  by  the 
same  monarch. 

“ The  emperor’s  ministers  had  represented  to  him  that 
the  scholars  of  his  day  gave  their  time  to  the  study  of 
antiquity,  and  to  eulogizing  the  rulers  and  the  customs 
of  former  times,  instead  of  devoting  their  talents,  as  be- 
came them,  to  studying  the  laws  and  strengthening  the 
power  of  the  government  under  which  they  lived  ; there- 
fore they  advised  that  all  the  books  should  be  burned, 
excepting  those  on  medicine,  divination,  and  husbandly. 
The  Emperor  followed  their  suggestion. 

“ It  cannot  be  supposed  that  a complete  destruction  of 
the  Ancient  Books  of  China  was  effected  by  this  monarch. 

“ Some  remained  in  the  hands  of  individuals,  in  whole 
or  in  parts,  and  it  was  a work  for  future  scholars  to  col- 
lect, arrange,  and  reproduce  these  works,  some  of  which 
reproduction  may  have  been  made,  perhaps,  partly  by  the 
aid  of  memory  and  partly  by  tradition.” 

The  Tsin  dynasty  began  in  770  B.  C.,  in  the  Northwest 
Provinces,  and  obtained  possession  of  the  entire  empire 
250  B.  C.  From  this  monarch  comes  the  present  word 

Q 


258 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


“ Chin  ” or  “ Sin,”  the  word  which  our  fellow-passengers 
use  when  talking  of  their  country. 

It  was  while  Tsin  was  making  his  conquests  that  Isaiah 
at  Jerusalem,  looking  with  prophetic  vision  down  the 
future,  to  the  time  of  the  Messiah,  wrote  this  sentence  : * 
“ Behold,  these  shall  come  from  far ; and  lo,  these  from 
the  north  and  from  the  west,  and  these  from  the  land 
of  Sinim.” 

The  credible  history  of  the  Chinese  reaches  back  to 
nearly  the  time  of  Abraham.  In  the  year  1765,  about 
the  time  that  Jacob  was  falling  in  love  with  his  cousin 
Bach  el  at  Haran,  we  find  that  one  E.  Yin  here  in  China 
was  presenting  a written  memorial  to  his  sovereign,  while 
Egypt  at  that  time  had  only  attained  to  figures  of  beasts, 
birds,  reptiles,  and  insects,  and  corresponding  symbols  in 
the  art  of  writing. 

The  Chinese  who  sailed  these  waters  at  the  time  that 
David  was  king  of  Israel,  it  is  said/  had  just  the  same 
sort  of  a mariner’s  compass  as  that  by  which  the  un- 
wieldy junks  are  now  navigated  along  the  coast. 

The  claims  of  the  Chinese  to  an  antiquity  reaching  far 
beyond  the  Flood  cannot  be  proved,  but  there  is  no  doubt 
that  they  are  by  far  the  oldest  nation  on  the  globe.  The 
Jews,  Persians,  Greeks,  Bomans,  all  have  had  their  day 
and  disappeared  since  Yu  drained  the  swamps.  Egypt 
and  Assyria,  which  had  a contemporaneous  beginning, 
have  disappeared,  but  China  remains/  The  civilization 
of  this  land  attained  a high  development  before  Borne 
became  a republic.  The  laws,  customs,  manners,  and 
habits  of  the  people  strike  their  roots  deep  into  the 
mould  of  centuries.  For  three  thousand  years  they  have 
been  an  exclusive  people.  They  were  remote  from  , the 
old  nations.  The  Greeks  knew  of  them.  The  map  of 
Eratosthenes,  made  250  B.  C.,  as  Strabo  informs  us, 


* Isaiah  xlix.  12. 


GEOGRAPHY  AND  HISTORY  OF  CHINA. 


259 


located  Tliina  at  the  eastern  end  of  the  world.  It  was 
the  land  of  the  Seres,  — the  Greek  for  worms  which 
produced  silk.  Cotton  was  raised  in  China  at  least  two 
hundred  years  before  the  Christian  era. 

Dionysius,  who  translated  the  works  of  Eratosthenes, 
has  this  description  of  Tliina  : — 

“ Nor  flocks  nor  herds  the  distant  Seres  tends ; 

But  from  the  flowers  that  in  the  desert  bloom, 

Tinctured  with  every  varying  hue,  they  cull 
The  glossy  down,  and  card  it  for  the  loom.” 

When  Rome  was  in  its  days  of  affluence  and  power, 
the  matrons  of  that  empire  were  robed  in  silks  brought 
from  China  by  caravans  over  the  steppes  of  Tartary  and 
the  vast  regions  of  Central  Asia.  But  commercial  inter-, 
course  with  China  was  on  a limited  scale,  through  all  the 
centuries  from  the  time  of  the  Greeks  and  Romans  down 
almost  to  the  present  century.  In  1624  the  Dutch  gained 
a settlement  on  the  island  of  Formosa,  and  Europeans 
were  made  acquainted  with  the  use  of  tea.  In  1666 
Holland  obtained,  by  treaty,  permission  to  trade  at  Can- 
ton, Ningpo,  and  several  other  ports ; but  the  Chinese 
officials  were  haughty,  overbearing,  made  offensive  ex- 
actions, and  commercial  intercourse  was  attended  with 
many  difficulties. 

France,  Russia,  and  England  subsequently  opened  trade. 
The  commerce  of  the  English  with  this  country  com- 
menced in  1637,  through  the  East  India  Company,  and 
gradually  increased ; but  the  Chinese  never  lost  an  oppor- 
tunity of  showing  that  they  considered  themselves  supe- 
rior to  all  foreigners. 

In  1795  Lord  Macartney  was  sent  out  as  an  ambassa- 
dor to  ask  the  privilege  of  trading  at  the  ports  of  Chusan, 
Ningpo,  and  Tientsing  ; also  the  privilege  of  establishing 
a depot  on  one  of  the  islands  of  the  Bay  of  Canton,  where 
unsold  goods  could  be  stored.  But  the  Chinese  refused  to 


260 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


grant  the  request  to  the  “ Eed-bristled  barbarian  tribute- 
bearer,”  as  Lord  Macartney  was  styled  in  the  official 
record  which  has  been  published.  They  considered  that 
the  payment  of  large  sums  by  the  English  merchants  for 
the  privilege  of  trading  made  the  English  nation  tributary 
to  China. 

Trade  between  the  United  States  and  China  commenced 
in  1786,  when  a vessel  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  tons 
reached  Canton.  It  rapidly  increased  during  the  first 
years  of  the  present  century,  while  Europe  was  at  war. 
After  the  war  between  England  and  China  in  1840,  by 
which  Great  Britain  obtained  commercial  advantages  by 
treaty,  Mr.  Cushing  was  sent  to  Pekin  by  the  United 
States  government ; and  commercial  relations  were  opened 
in  1844,  which  have  been  harmoniously  maintained  to 
the  present  time. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

HONG  KONG. 

AT  sunrise  we  are  on  deck  gazing  upon  a beautiful 
scene.  The  town  of  Hong  Ivong  lies  south  of  us, 
at  the  foot  of  a mountain  which  rises  abruptly  from  the 
sea  to  the  height  of  nearly  two  thousand  feet.  It  seems 
to  be  a city  of  palaces,  — large  edifices,  with  colonnades 
and  verandas,  the  residences  of  the  merchants.  Steamers, 
ships,  and  Chinese  boats  are-  all  around  us.  Two  United 
States  war  vessels,  the  Piscataqua  and  Maumee,  have  re- 
cently arrived.  Farther  up  the  bay  the  cross  of  St.  George 
and  the  tricolor  of  France  float  in  the  breeze. 

Northward  lies  the  main-land,  — verdure-clad  hills, 
lofty  mountains,  deep  ravines,  patches  of  yellow  earth 


HONG  KONG. 


261 


262 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


here  and  there,  contrasted  with  the  greenness,  lending 
rare  beauty  to  the  picture. 

The  Bay  of  Naples  is  broader,  the  mountains  of  Leba- 
non give  a loftier  background  to  the  harbor  of  Beyrout, 
but  there  are  few  ports  which  for  picturesqueness  and 
beauty  equal  that  of  Hong  Kong.  It  is  so  completely 
land-locked  that  vessels  are  but  little  exposed  to  the 
terrific  typhoons  which  sometimes  sweep  over  the  waters 
of  China. 

The  town  is  situated  on  an  island  eleven  miles  long, 
from  two  to  five  wide,  and  containing  twenty-nine  square 
miles.  It  is  separated  from  the  main-land  by  this  strait, 
which  forms  the  harbor.  It  was  ceded  to  Great  Britain 
in  1841,  at  a cost  to  the  royal  treasury  of  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars.  It  is  a free  port,  and  the  town  is  in- 
creasing in  population  with  a rapidity  equal  to  that  of 
American  cities.  In  1851  there  were  only  five  thousand 
inhabitants ; by  the  census  of  1865  there  were  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-five  thousand.  Europeans  and  Americans 
number  about  twenty-two  hundred.  The  present  popula- 
tion is  not  far  from  one  hundred  and  forty  thousand.  It 
is  a colony  by  itself,  having  a governor  and  a council  ap- 
pointed by  her  Majesty.  In  the  British  Blue  Book  it  is 
known  as  the  Colony  of  Victoria,  though  the  world  over 
it  goes  by  the  name  of  Hong  Kong,  the  Chinese  for 
“ Sweet  Water.” 

Twenty-two  hundred  vessels  and  steamers,  with  a ton- 
nage of  one  million  one  hundred  thousand  tons,  entered 
the  port  last  year.  They  are  from  every  quarter  of  the 
globe.  It  is  the  great  mail  centre  of  the  East,  — mails  to 
Europe,  to  Australia,  Batavia,  Manila,  Japan,  and  the 
United  States.  Twice  every  month  the  Peninsular  and 
Oriental  steamers  sail  for  Suez,  every  month  to  Australia, 
twice  a month  to  Japan.  Once  a month  the  French  mail 
arrives  and  departs,  connecting  with  Siam.  Two  steamers 


HONG  KONG. 


263 


ply  regularly  to  Calcutta.  The  Pacific  mail  leaves  every 
month  for  San  Francisco.  Three  or  four  times  a week 
there  are  steamers  up  the  coast  to  Shanghae.  Every  day 
there  is  a steamer  to  Canton,  and  another  to  Macao.  So 
Western  enterprise  is  making  itself  felt  in  these  waters. 

The  town  is  healthy,  though  situated  on  the  north  side 
of  the  Victoria  peak,  which  prevents  it  from  receiving  the 
benefit  of  the  southwest  monsoons,  that  blow  steadily 
during  the  summer.  The  only  drawback  is  the  heat,  — 
the  thermometer  in  the  summer  ranging  from  eighty  to 
ninety  degrees. 

The  flotilla  around  us  are  junks  and  sampans,  with 
matting  stretched  on  bamboos  to  form  a little  cabin,  and 
another  kind  of  craft  where  the  family  live  on  board, 
sleeping  at  night  in  drawers,  which  are  closed  during  the 
day.  In  these  family  boats  there  is  great  economy  of 
space ; every  inch  is  occupied.  Think  of  a father,  mother, 
several  sons  and  daughters,  a grandfather  and  grand- 
mother, living  on  a craft  a little  larger  than  a ship’s  long- 
boat ; urchins  tumbling  about  the  deck  without  clothing, 
growing  to  manhood,  to  old  age,  rearing  families  of  their 
own,  their  sisters  living  with  them  till  married.  Here 
they  eat,  sleep,  work,  play,  drink  tea,  gamble,  — here  to- 
day, to-morrow  somewhere  else,  — apparently  happy  and 
contented  with  their  lot. 

We  take  a seat  in  one  of  the  sampans,  while  our  bag- 
gage is  put  into  another.  The  captain  of  our  boat  is  a 
healthy  looking  woman  of  thirty-five  or  forty,  with  a wide 
mouth,  showing  a superb  set  of  teeth.  She  sits  at  the 
helm,  not  having  room  enough  to  stand,  while  her  hus- 
band and  three  sons  ply  the  oars.  The  captain  of  the 
other  sampan  is  her  daughter,  a girl  of  about  eighteen, 
with  bright  black  eyes,  regular  and  interesting  features, 
and  a bewitching  smile.  She  is  lithe  and  agile,  and 
makes  the  oar  bend  in  her  hands  as  she  dips  it  in  the 


2G4 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


wave.  She  seems  to  be  the  admiral  of  the  two  boats, 
giving  orders  about  the  stowing  of  the  baggage.  Per- 
haps she  has  this  exalted  command  because  she  can 
speak  a few  words  of  English. 

Our  admiral  looks  over  to  us  with  laughing  eyes,  and 
as  we  approach  the  wharf,  courteously  lies  by  till  we 
are  on  shore. 

We  are  welcomed  by  a crowd  of  coolies,  who  are  ready 
to  seize  our  luggage  to  carry  it  to  the  hotel.  They  leap 


THEREBY  HANGS  A TAIL.” 


on  our  admiral’s  sampan.  Four  of  them  seize  our  one 
small  trunk,  three  grasp  the  carpet-bag,  and  there  is  a 
tussle  between  two  others  for  the  roll  of  shawls.  A 
dozen  more  are  crowding  up,  but  find  their  match  in  the 
plucky  woman,  who  pitches  them  right  and  left,  slaps 
one  in  the  face,  gives  another  a vigorous  punch  in  the 
ribs,  pulls  the  pigtail  of  the  third,  and  stands  sentry 
till  we  are  ready  to  move,  then  accepts  her  fee  with  a 
smile  and  a courtesy,  and  does  not  ask  for  bakshish. 
The  monks  in  the  churches  of  Italy,  the  Arabs  of  Egypt, 
the  vergers  in  Westminster  Abbey,  might  take  a lesson  in 
politeness  and  good  breeding  from  this  China  girl. 


HONG  KONG. 


265 


A few  steps,  and  we  are  in  the  Hong  Kong  Hotel,  — a 
new  building,  large,  spacious,  well  arranged  and  fur- 
nished, — superior  in  these  respects  to  any  hotel  we 
have  seen  east  of  Marseilles. 

It  is  Sunday  morning ; after  weeks  of  deprivation 
of  Sabbath  service,  it  is  a pleasure  to  hear  the  church- 
bell,  and  to  enter  a house  of  worship.  There  are  no  pub- 
lic coaches  in  Hong  Kong,  and  not  many  private  ones. 
A few  of  the  Englishmen  have  dog-carts,  and  other 
fantastic  vehicles  equally  uncomfortable.  It  is  hardly 
worth  while  to  keep  carriages  where  the  longest  possible 
drive  is  not  over  five  miles ; so  everybody  rides  in  sedan- 
chairs,  which  are  carried  by  two  Chinamen,  or,  if  the  dis- 
tance is  great,  by  four.  The  chair  is  a bamboo  box,  with 
a light  framework  ; it  has  green  painted  canvas  to  shelter 
us  from  the  sun,  and  curtains  at  the  side  that  may  be 
rolled  up  or  let  down  at  pleasure,  and  is  supported  by 
two  long,  springing  bamboo  poles,  which  the  bearers  place 
on  their  shoulders. 

"We  are  lifted  from  the  ground,  find  ourselves  springing 
up  and  down,  and  moving  along  with  a wave-like  motion. 
We  cannot  help  laughing  outright  at  this  queer  mode 
of  travelling,  — shut  up  in  a hen-coop,  carried  by  men  in 
blue  cotton  blouses,  shoes  with  soles  an  inch  thick,  that 
turn  up  at  the  toes,  and  wearing  hats  with  brims  three 
feet  in  diameter,  curving  up  from  circumference  to  centre 
like  the  lid  of  a teapot,  each  bearer  having  a pigtail 
hanging  down  his  back  like  a bell-rope. 

We  are  in  a procession  of  sedans  ; men  and  women  are 
bobbing  up  and  down  before  and  behind  all  the  way  to 
the  church.  It  is  so  novel  an  experience,  that  we  can 
hardly  tell  whether  we  are  in  or  out  of  the  body,  though 
we  know  that  we  are  in  a sedan.  It  puts  us  to  dreaming 
of  old  times,  when  men  were  borne  about  the  streets  of 
London  in  such  conveyances,  with  link-boys  going  before 
12 


266 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


them  ill  dark  nights ; and  recalls  the  scene  of  Mr.  Pick- 
wick, at  Ipswich,  on  his  way  to  the  magistrate’s  against 
his  will,  and  giving  utterance  to  his  indignation  in  a * 
speech  to  the  crowd. 


HOW  WE  GO  TO  CHURCH. 


Arriving  at  the  church,  we  find  the  space  around  it  as 
closely  packed  with  sedans  as  a niarket-place  or  poultry- 
fair  with  coops  and  baskets. 

The  illusion  that  we  have  somehow  got  back  into  a 
past  age  is  not  dispelled,  but  rather  increased,  when  we 
step  out  of  the  sedan  and  enter  the  church  beneath  a 
portico  supported  by  tall  pillars,  and  look  up  the  aisle  and 
see  beautiful  stained-glass  windows,  and  a dozen  punkas 
suspended  by  cords  from  the  roof,  swinging  backward  and 
forward  with  a gentle  'motion.  We  hear  the  deep  notes 
of  the  organ,  the  sweet  tones  of  a choir  of  boys,  the  voice 
of  the  clergyman,  and  the  responses  of  the  congregation  ; 
and  there  is  such  a mingling  of  the  past  and  present,  old 
and  new,  sober  and  funny  things,  that  we  wonder  whether 
it  is  reality  or  illusion. 


OPIUM. 


267 


The  Sabbath  is  well  observed  in  Hong  Kong  by  the 
European  population.  The  wholesale  Chinese  merchants 
close  their  places  of  business,  not  from  reverence  for  the 
day,  but  because  they  cannot  trade  with  the  Europeans. 
The  retail  shops  in  the  native  quarters  are  open,  and 
business  goes  on  there  as  on  other  days.  The  shoemakers 
and  joiners  are  at  their  benches ; the  huckster,  with  his 
baskets  suspended  from  a bamboo  over  his  shoulders, 
looking  like  a walking  pair  of  grocer’s  scales,  cries  his 
vegetables  as  on  all  other  days  of  the  week.  There  are 
two  services  at  the  English  church,  also  mass  in  the 
morning  and  vespers  in  the  evening  at  the  Catholic 
cathedral.  The  Chinese  theatres  are  open,  and  there  is 
the  ever-lively  scene  in  the  harbor. 


CHAPTEE  XXXII. 

OPIUM. 

THE  opium  saloons  at  night  are  crowded  with 
smokers.  Looking  in  we  behold  some  reclining 

o o 

on  couches ; others  lying  at  full  length  on  mats,  with 
bamboo  pillows  under  their  heads.  The  opium  is  first 
reduced  from  a solid  to  a liquid  form  by  boiling  it  in 
water.  When  ready  for  the  pipe,  it  is  about  the  color 
and  consistency  of  tar.  It  is  prepared  and  put  up  in 
little  tin  boxes  by  the  dealers,  being  brought  from  India 
in  the  solid  cake.  It  is  so  powerful  in  its  effects  that  the 
hundredth  part  of  an  ounce  is  sufficient  to  intoxicate  a 
beginner,  though  an  old  stager  can  stand  a quarter  of  an 
ounce.  If  the  drug  is  used  regularly  at  a certain  hour 
every  day,  the  smoker  in  a short  time  cannot  get  past 


268 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


tliat  hour  without  his  pipe.  He  becomes  restless,  ner- 
vous, feverish,  irritable,  out  of  sorts,  and  endures  terrible 
torture.  If  lie  takes  a few  whiffs,  he  is  the  happiest  of 
mortals.  He  passes  from  purgatory  to  paradise.  Once 
form  the  habit  and  there  is  no  breaking  it  off.  The 
victim  is  doomed.  It  is  an  expensive  luxury,  one  in 
which  the  very  poor  cannot  indulge.  It  costs  an  in- 
veterate smoker  about  fifteen  dollars  per  month,  and 
the  vice  in  a short  time  leads  to  listlessness,  indolence, 
neglect  of  business,  incapacity,  disinclination  for  labor, 
disease,  and  horrible  death.  The  Chinese  have  a saying 
that  opium-smokers  make  the  day  night  and  the  night 
day.  Those  who  give  themselves  up  to  the  pipe  are 
called  “opium  devils.” 

The  future  historian  will  mark  its  introduction  into 
China  as  one  of  the  saddest  incidents  of  its  history. 

In  1773,  about  the  time  that  the  people  of  Boston  were 
throwing  British  tea  into  the  harbor,  the  East  India  Com- 
pany were  disposing  of  their  first  small  venture  of  opium 
at  this  port.  From  the  topmasts  of  their  vessels  the 
sailors  had  looked  out  upon  these  fertile  valleys,  and  be- 
held them  white  with  poppy-blooms,  from  which  opium 
was  manufactured  for  the  wealthy  classes.  A chest  of 
opium  in  the  market  of  Canton  was  worth  $ 500 ; but 
the  banks  of  the  Ganges  were  more  fertile  than  these 
mountain  slopes,  the  climate  more  genial,  and  a chest  of 
the  drug  could  be  produced  for  $ 100.  Here  was  a chance 
for  speculation.  No  other  product  of  India  would  yield 
four  hundred  per  cent  profit. 

The  trade  rapidly  increased,  and  in  1800  amounted  to 
two  thousand  chests  per  annum.  Up  to  that  year  no 
action  had  been  taken  by  the  Chinese  government  against 
its  introduction;  but  the  withdrawal  of  coin  from  the 
empire,  and  the  demoralization  of  the  wealthy  classes 
and  public  officials  who  had  the  means  of  indulging  their 


OPIUM. 


269 


appetites,  induced  the  emperor  to  prohibit  its  manu- 
facture and  sale.  Confiscation  of  property  and  death 
were  the  penalties,  not  only  for  those  who  cultivated  and 
sold,  but  for  those  who  smoked  the  drug. 

Notwithstanding  these  prohibitory  measures,  the  con- 
sumption still  increased.  Armed  English  vessels  were 
stationed  in  the  Canton  River,  which  supplied  smugglers’ 
boats,  also  well-armed  and  ready  for  battle  with  the  Chi- 
nese war-junks.  Officials  were  bribed,  mandarins  con- 
ciliated, the  imperial  laws  set  at  defiance. 

The  government  at  Pekin  used  every  effort  to  stop 
the  sale,  while  the  East  India  Company  employed  every 
means  to  stimulate  it.  The  Chinese  authorities,  when 
fortunate  enough  to  catch  smugglers  or  dealers,  strangled 
them  in  front  of  the  English  factories ; but  the  death  of 
a Chinaman  now  and  then  did  not  deter  the  English  from 
violating  the  laws  of  a weaker  nation,  and  the  illicit  sale 
increased  from  year  to  year,  till  in  1840  it  amounted  to 
forty  thousand  chests  per  annum. 

In  1839  the  Chinese  government  determined  to  break 
up  the  traffic  at  all  hazards.  Lin,  the  imperial  commis- 
sioner at  Canton,  pushed  matters  so  vigorously  that  the 
trade  for  a time  nearly  ceased. 

The  emperor  demanded  a surrender  of  all  the  opium 
in  the  hands  of  the  English,  which  at  the  command 
of  Admiral  Elliot  was  given  up,  and  twenty  thousand 
chests  destroyed,  — at  a cost  of  six  million  dollars  to 
the  imperial  treasury ! The  English  merchants  who  had 
dealt  in  the  article  signed  an  obligation  not  to  re-engage 
in  the  traffic,  and  then  immediately  violated  it ! The 
trade  being  revived,  the  Chinese  officials  became  insolent, 
overbearing,  and  the  merchants  were  subjected  to  hu- 
miliating exactions,  exceedingly  galling  to  high-spirited 
Britons.  The  result  of  it  all  was  the  war  of  1840,  waged 
ostensibly  to  avenge  insult  to  the  British  flag,  but  in 


270 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


reality  to  force  opium  upon,  a government  labpring  to 
suppress  the  traffic. 

It  was  an  easy  matter  for  the  British  fleet  to  knock 
down  the  Bogue  forts  at  the  entrance  to  the  Canton  River, 
and  to  take  possession  of  Canton,  and  all  the  other  mari- 
time cities.  Avarice,  supported  by  fleets  and  armies,  ac- 
complished its  end.  So  Christian  England  dealt  with 
heathen  China ! 

How  stinging  the  rebuke  the  emperor  gave  when  asked 
to  license  the  sale  of  opium  at  Hong  Kong : — 

“ It  is  true,”  said  he,  “ I cannot  prevent  the  introduction 
of  the  flowing  poison.  Gain-seeking  and  corrupt  men 
will  for  profit  and  sensuality  defeat  my  wishes  ; but  noth- 
ing will  induce  me  to  derive  a revenue  from  the  vice 
and  misery  of  my  people.” 

Her  Majesty’s  late  treasurer  at  Hong  Kong,  Mr.  Mar- 
tin, gives  utterance  to  the  following  noble  outburst  of 
indignation  in  regard  to  the  course  pursued  by  Eng- 
land : — 

“ The  records  of  wickedness  since  the  world  was  created 
furnish  no  parallel  to  the  wholesale  murders  which  the 
British  nation  have  been,  and  still  are,  hourly  committing 
in  China. 

“ What  has  been  done  on  the  subject  ? Have  we  simply 
remained  passive,  and  allowed  the  crimes  and  the  mur- 
ders caused  by  the  opium-trade  to  go  on  silently,  un- 
noticed and  unopposed  by  her  Majesty’s  government  ? 
We  cannot  even  allege  the  poor,  miserable  plea  of  wink- 
ing as  a government  against  a crime  which  it  is  pretended 
could  not  be  checked.  On  the  contrary,  the  representa- 
tive of  Queen  Victoria  has  recently  converted  the  small 
barren  rock  which  we  occupy  on  the  coast  of  China  in- 
to a vast  ‘ opium  - smoking  shop  ’ ; he  has  made  it  the 
‘ Gehenna  of  the  waters,’  where  iniquities  which  it  is  a 
pollution  to  name  cannot  only  be  perpetrated  with  im- 


OPIUM. 


271 


punity,  but  are  absolutely  licensed  in  the  name  of  our 
gracious  sovereign,  and  protected  by  the  titled  represent- 
ative of  her  Majesty ! 

“ Better,  far  better,  infinitely  better,  abjure  the  name 
of  Christianity,  call  ourselves  heathens,  idolaters  of  the 
‘ golden  calf,’  worshippers  of  the  ‘ evil  one.’ 

“ Let  us  do  this,  and  we  have  then  a principle  for  our 
guide,  — the  acquisition  of  money  at  any  cost,  at  any 
sacrifice.  Why,  the  slave-trade  was  merciful  compared 
to  the  opium-trade.  We  did  not  destroy  the.  bodies  of 
the  Africans,  for  it  was  our  immediate  interest  to  keep 
them  alive ; we  did  not  debase  their  natures,  corrupt 
their  minds,  nor  destroy  their  souls.  But  the  opium- 
seller  slays  the  body  after  he  has  corrupted,  degraded, 
and  annihilated  the  moral  being  of  unhappy  sinners,  — 
while  every  hour  is  bringing  new  victims  to  a Moloch 
which  knows  no  satiety,  and  where  the  English  murderer 
and  the  Chinese  suicide  vie  with  each  other  in  offering 
at  his  shrine.”  * 

No  excuse  can  be  offered  for  the  conduct  of  England 
in  forcing  opium  upon  the  Chinese.  It  will  ever  stand 
forth  in  history  as  the  high-handed  barbarian  act  of  a 
nation  which  -puts  forth  the  highest  claims  to  Christian 
civilization. 

Here  are  the  smokers,  two  of  them  lying  on  a mat 
with  pillows  under  their  heads,  a little  tin  box  of  the 
opium,  a lighted  lamp,  and  a pipe  between  them,  all  ready 
for  a descent  to  their  infernal  paradise.  The  pipe  has  a 
clay  bowl  and  a wooden  stem  eighteen  inches  long.  One 
of  the  smokers  dips  a •wire  into  the  opium-paste,  takes 
up  a globule  the  size  of  a pea,  puts  it  into  the  bowl, 
holds  it  to  the  flame,  draws  the  smoke  into  the  lungs 
through  the  mouth,  letting  it  out  through  the  nose.  A 
half-dozen  whiffs  consume  the  globule.  He  refills  the 


* Martin’s  China. 


countenance  now  which  is  a good  counterpart  of  the 
drunken  Bacchus  recently  excavated  from  the  ruins  of 
the  temple  of  that  god  under  the  shadow  of  the  Acropolis 
at  Athens.  He  grins,  screws  up  his  eyes,  giggles,  makes 
funny  faces,  laughs,  not  broadly,  with  legitimate  humor, 
but  in  a manner  indicative  of  the  last  stage  of  silliness. 
Another  pull  at  the  pipe  and  he  is  down  in  his  paradise 
among  the  gods  and  flowers.  He  will  be  happy  awhile  ; 
but  there  is  a hell  beyond,  with  devils  innumerable  and 
tortures  unutterable. 


272  OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 

pipe,  hands  it  to  his  companion,  who  takes  his  turn. 
It  is  a study  to  watch  the  coming  on  of  the  happy 
feeling.  At  the  commencement  they  are  haggard  and 
woebegone ; the  hanker  is  on  them ; they  are  restless 
and  uneasy.  A few  whiffs,  and  they  feel  better,  — re- 
freshed and  invigorated ; a few  more,  and  they  are  happy ; 
another  turn,  and  they  are  silly.  One  of  them  has  a 


OPIUM-SMOKERS. 


FROM  HONG  KONG  TO  CANTON. 


273 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

FROM  HONG  KONG  TO  CANTON. 


ALINE  of  American-built  steamers,  like  those  plying 
on  Long  Island  Sound,  has  been  established  between 
Hong  Kong  and  Canton.  Coolies  take  us  in  sedans  from 
the  hotel  to  the  wharf,  and  set  us  down  amid  a chattering 
crowd,  some  rushing  on  board  the  steamer,  others  bidding 
their  friends  farewell.  A few  Europeans  and  Americans 
have  the  forward  deck  to  themselves,  the  first-class  cabin 
passengers  occupying  that  portion  of  the  steamer.  The 
upper  deck  aft  is 
filled  with  first- 
class  Chinamen, 
most  of  whom  pass 
the  hours  while  on 
board  by  smoking 
or  in  gambling. 

Among  them  we 
notice  some  who 
take  pride  in  wear- 
ing long  finger- 
nails. They  trim 
those  of  the  first 
and  second  fingers 
of  the  right  hand, 
but  allow  the  third 
and  fourth  to  re- 
main uncut.  The 
accompanying  illus- 
tration, engraved 
12* 


NATURAL  ORNAMENTS. 


L 


274 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


from  a photograph,  will  show  the  length  which  these 
appendages  sometimes  attain. 

Second-class  natives  cram  the  lower  deck.  Although 
they  might  make  the  trip  on  junks  at  a third  the  cost 
of  a passage  on  the  steamer,  they  pay  the  higher  price. 
It  is  a noteworthy  fact  that,  although  the  nation  has  made 
little  progress  for  centuries,  and  stagnation  is  the  normal 
condition  of  things,  the  people  are  quick  to  accept  some 
of  the  appliances  of  modern  civilization.  They  patronize 
the  steamers,  and  if  railroads  are  introduced  there  will  he 
no  lack  of  passengers,  for  they  will  he  as  eager  to  ride  as 
the  Hindoos. 

“No  Chinaman,”  said  a gentleman  at  Hong  Kong, 
“ goes  on  foot  if  he  has  money  enough  to  pay  for  a ride.” 

We  steam  out  into  the  harbor,  pass  ships  of  war,  steam- 
ers, junks,  innumerable  fishing-boats,  and  gain  the  hay 
which  lies  west  of  the  island  of  Hong  Kong. 

The  town  of  Macao,  where  the  Portuguese,  in  advance 
of  all  Western  nations,  obtained  a foothold  in  China,  lies 
upon  the  southern  side  of  the  hay.  It  has  lost  commer- 
cial importance,  and  is  now  a seaside  resort  for  the  Euro- 
peans of  Hong  Kong.  A steamer  owned  by  an  American 
gentleman  plies  between  that  port  and  Canton.  It  makes 
its  appearance  from  among  the  small  islands,  and  follows 
in  our  wake  up  the  bay. 

It  is  fifty  miles  from  Hong  Kong  to  the  Bogue  forts. 
They  are  in  ruins  now,  the  shattered  blocks  of  granite 
lying  just  as  they  were  left  at  the  close  of  the  bombard- 
ment in  1856.  The  grass  is  springing  fresh  and  green 
where  the  mandarins  once  marshalled  their  soldiers.  The 
scenery  here  is  charming ; no  high  mountains,  hut  a suc- 
cession of  hills,  which,  combined  with  the  water  views, 
make  it  a locality  of  rare  beauty.  Thus  far  we  have 
been  sailing  northerly,  hut  now  turn  toward  the  west, 
with  the  river  deep  enough  for  the  largest  ship  to  reach 
Whampoa,  the  port  of  Canton. 


FROM  HONG  KONG  TO  CANTON. 


275 


We  look  across  a point  of  land,  over  wide  fields,  green 
with  young  rice  and  sugar-cane,  and  behold  a nine-storied 
pagoda,  rising  like  a tall  light-house  above  the  alluvial 
expanse,  — one  of  the  monuments  of  the  time  when  the 
empire  was  in  its  glory. 


The  town  of  Whampoa  is  an  uninviting  place,  many 
of  the  houses  being  built  on  bamboo  poles  thrust  into  the 
mud.  A dozen  foreign  vessels  are  at  anchor,  taking  in 
cargoes  of  tea,  or  waiting  their  turn  in  the  dry-dock, 
which  foreign  capital  has  built  on  the  southern  bank  of 
the  river,  where  there  are  also  extensive  repair-shops  for 
steamers. 

A little  farther  and  we  are  up  with  a great  fleet  of 
salt  junks,  with  enormous  eyes  at  the  bow,  with  flam- 
ing dragons  painted  on  the  sides,  — so  lumbering  and 


276 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


crazy  to  all  appearance,  that  a single  wave  would  crush 
them ; hut  they  sail  boldly  out  to  sea,  down  to  the  Gulf 
of  Tonquin,  to  the  salt-works  of  the  western  coast,  and 
return  with  full  cargoes.  The  article  is  a monopoly  con- 
trolled by  government,  and  yields  a large  revenue  to 
the  mandarins ; for,  like  the  whiskey  inspection  of  the 
United  States,  a small  percentage  only  reaches  the  gov- 
ernment treasury. 

Passing  these  we  behold  Canton,  the  city  of  pongee 
silks  such  as  our  grandmothers  wore,  lacquered  ware  and 
fire-crackers,  of  tea  and  ivory,  Joss-houses  and  pagodas, 
with'  a million  inhabitants.  The  main  portion  of  the 
town  is  on  the  north  bank,  in  a bend  of  the  river ; there 
is  a suburb  on  the  south  bank,  or  rather  on  an  island 
called  Honam,  but  it  is  all  Canton.  The  name  was 
given  to  the  place  by  the  Portuguese,  who  called  it  after 
the  province  of  Kwang-tong,  of  which  it  is  the  chief 
city.  The  Chinese  designate  it  Sheng-cheng,  “ the  capi- 
tal of  the  province.” 

Boats  are  moored  along  the  shore  or  swing  at  anchor 
in  the  stream.  They  swarm  around  us,  loaded  to  the 
water’s  edge  with  chests  of  tea.  There  is  a struggle  for 
the  first  chance  alongside  the  steamer.  In  one  we  see 
a fat  old  woman  and  a young  girl,  working  with  all 
their  might  the  great  sculling  oar  astern,  while  the  hus- 
band and  his  two  sons  are  pulling  hard  at  the  side-oars. 
Another,  commanded  by  a little  woman,  shoots  suddenly 
ahead  of  the  heavier  craft.  There  are  loud  words,  fierce 
looks,  and  a shaking  of  fists  as  they  pass ; then,  as  the 
steamer  drops  anchor  and  swings  round  with  the  tide,  a 
third,  piled  with  tea-chests,  pokes  its  nose  up  to  the  gang- 
way, crowds  the  others  away,  and  secures  the  position. 
In  the  West,  such  struggling  would  probably  be  accom- 
panied by  bruised  faces  and  bleeding  noses,  but  these 
easy-going  Celestials  wage  only  a war  of  words.  Sel- 
dom do  they  come  to  blows  over  such  provocations. 


FROM  HONG  KONG  TO  CANTON. 


277 


Many  of  these  boats  are  occupied  by  families,  and  ter- 
rible accidents  sometimes  happen  to  them.  Often  they 
are  drawn  under  the  great  paddle-wheels  of  a steamer, 
and  the  frail  crafts  smashed  to  kindlings.  It  is  the  de- 
molishing of  a house,  the  breaking  up  of  a home.  While 
the  poor  wretches  are  struggling  in  the  water,  instead  of 
picking  them  up,  their  neighbors  are  intent  upon  plun- 
dering the  wqeck ! This  is  one  of  the  worst  phases  of 
Chinese  character.  Human  life  is  cheap  because  there 
is  so  much  of  it,  and  property  is  dear  because  there  is  so 
little  of  it ; and  they  seek  to  save  that  which  will  do 
them  the  most  good.  They  will  draw  in  a trunk,  and 
help  themselves  to  its  contents,  before  throwing  a rope 
to  the  owner. 

Beyond  the  boats  we  see  a vast  collection  of  mean 
houses.  Here  and  there  a square  brick  tower  rises 
above  the  tiled  roofs;  these  are  pawnbrokers’  estab- 
lishments. Away  out  on  the  hills,  — the  White  Cloud 
Hills  as  they  are  called,  — toward  the  north,  is  the 
outer  wall  of  the  city,  and  a great  square  building  in  the 
Chinese  style  of  architecture,  called  the  “Five-storied 
Pagoda.”  Nearer  is  a tall,  gray  edifice,  like  a light- 
house, — a pagoda  of  the  ancient  times  ; westward  rises 
a spire,  — that  of  the  English  Church.  No  other,  not  a 
dome  or  tower,  to  relieve  the  dreary  monotony  of  low 
roofs.  A few  flag-staffs,  and  here  and  there  a building 
higher  than  the  mass  of  houses ; but,  other  than  these, 
there  is  nothing  to  attract  the  eye. 

About  fifty  Europeans  and  Americans  reside  in  Can- 
ton ; their  houses  are  in  strong  contrast  to  those  of  the 
Chinese.  They  are  large,  stately  edifices,  with  all  the 
comforts  and  conveniences  to  be  found  in  European  or 
American  homes.  These  houses  are  owned  by  the  chief 
mercantile  firms,  and  have  all  been  built  since  1S60.  The 
old  factories,  as  the  former  establishments  were  called, 


278  'OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 

were  pillaged  and  burned  in  1856.  Then  came  the  war 
between  China  and  England  and  France,  in  which  the 
United  States  also  took  part,  followed  by  the  new  treaty 
throwing  open  five  ports.  The  merchants  returned  to 
Canton  and  erected  these  princely  residences.  There  is 
one  hotel,  but  the  accommodations  are  miserable ; and 
American  visitors  are  kindly  cared  for  by  Russell  & Co., 
Heard  & Co.,  Olipliant  & Co.,  or  Law  & Co.  These  firms 
have  their  principal  houses  at  Hong  Kong  and  Shanghae, 
which  have  become  the  two  great  ports  of  China  ; they 
also  have  branch  houses  in  all  the  treaty  ports,  and  at 
Japan.  Most  of  the  commerce  between  the  United 
States  and  China  passes  through  their  hands,  and  in  the 
silk  business  they  have  a large  share  of  the  French  trade. 
There  are  other  American  firms,  but  these  are  the  prin- 
cipal ones.  Before  the  war  Canton  was  the  chief  port 
of  China,  but  the  business  has  gradually  been  transferred 
to  Hong  Kong. 

The  steamer  has  not  been  at  the  wharf  five  min- 
utes before  the  head  of  the  firm  of  Russell  & Co.  at  this 
place,  Mr.  J.  M.  Forbes,  is  on  board  to  conduct  us  to 
their  house.  It  is  a large,  new  building,  standing  on  the 
ground  formerly  occupied  by  the  old  factories.  We  work 
our  way  through  a dense  crowd  of  coolies,  gamblers,  for- 
tune-tellers, hucksters,  and  idlers,  at  the  lower  end  of  Old 
China  Street,  enter  the  premises,  and  feel  ourselves  at 
home,  through  the  urbanity  and  kindness  of  our  host. 

Before  strolling  through  the  city,  let  us  briefly  review 
the  life  of  the  extraordinary  man  wiiose  influence  has 
been  so  powerful  in  moulding  the  character  of  this 
people. 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  CONFUCIUS. 


279 


CHAPTEE  XXXIV. 

THE  INFLUENCE  OF  CONFUCIUS. 

EW  men  have  exercised  a wider  influence  than  Confu- 


cius. He  was  horn  549  years  before  Christ,  and  was 
contemporary  with  the  Prophets  Daniel  and  Zecliariah. 
At  the  time  Daniel  was  interpreting  to  the  troubled  king 
of  Babylon  the  mysterious  handwriting  wdiich  appeared 
on  the  wall  of  his  palace,  Confucius  was  a lad  playing 
in  Xortlieastern  China,  in  what  is  now  the  province  of 
Shangtung.  Socrates  and  Cincinnatus  were  not  born  till 
one  hundred  years  later.  His  wisdom  wTas  not  borrowed 
from  Greece  or  Eome,  whose  sages  all  came  after  him. 
His  simplicity  was  equal  to  that  of  Socrates,  his  political 
system  more  enduring  than  that  of  Solon.  His  father, 
who  was  prime  minister  of  the  province  of  Loo,  died 
while  Confucius  was  a child,  and  the  son  was  educated 
by  his  grandfather.  He  was  married  at  nineteen,  but 
after  a year  of  wedded  life  wras  divorced.  When  only 
twenty-one  years  of  age  he  was  appointed  to  a high  posi- 
tion as  superintendent  of  a department  of  internal  rev- 
enue. Those  were  the  days  of  form  and  ceremony. 
Officials  thought  more  of  their  dignity,  comfort,  and  ease 
than  of  their  duties.  Affairs  were  veiy  much  wound 
round  with  red  tape.  He  cut  through  old  customs,  intro- 
duced reforms,  turned  out  fossilized  and  venal  officials, 
and  reorganized  the  department.  The  revenue  which  had 
been  pocketed  by  the  officers  found  its  way  into  the 
treasury.  Having  won  the  approbation  of  his  sovereign, 
he  was  appointed  to  a higher  position,  as  superintendent 
of  grain.  Men  who  are  turned  out  of  office  always  have 


280 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


a grudge  against  the  person  who  displaces  them.  Corrupt 
office-holders  cannot  tolerate  an  honest  colleague,  and 
success  begets  envy.  The  favor  of  the  sovereign  and  the 
applause  of  the  people  were  offset  in  the  case  of  Confu- 
cius by  the  enmity  of  the  mandarins,  who  were  able  to 
drive  him  from  office. 

He  travelled  in  his  own  country,  and  studied  the  habits 
and  customs  of  the  people  of  the  different  provinces. 
Finding  vice  and  immorality  prevalent  everywhere,  he 
took  the  side  of  virtue,  rallied  good  and  true  men  around 
Mm,  was  eventually  called  to  court  and  made  prime 
minister,  with  almost  absolute  authority.  There  was  an 
overhauling  of  public  affairs,  correction  of  abuses,  aban- 
donment of  old  customs,  clearing  out  of  dishonest  offi- 
cials. They  made  every  effort  possible  to  get  rid  of  the 
new  minister,  but  he  was  nearest  the  throne,  and  had  a 
strong  hand.  The  state  coach  with  its  new  driver  crushed 
all  who  threw  themselves  in  its  "way.  Some  mandarins 
lost  their  heads,  others  were  sent  into  exile. 

China  at  that  time  was  composed  of  nine  provinces, 
instead  of  eighteen  as  at  present,  each  governed  by  a 
prince.  The  wise  administration  of  affairs  in  the  province 
of  Loo,  of  which  Confucius  was  prime  minister,  soon  gave 
it  a superiority  that  provoked  the  enmity  of  surrounding 
states.  # 

The  prince  of  Loo,  not  unlike  many  other  princes  of  so- 
called  royal  blood,  wrho  have  lived  since  his  time,  thought 
less  of  virtue  than  of  the  voluptuous  damsels  which  were 
sent  to  his  court  by  a neighboring  ruler,  who  understood 
the  weak  side  of  his  royal  brother. 

Through  woman’s  charms  Samson  lost  his  eyes  and 
hair,  David  his  uprightness,  Solomon  his  exalted  wisdom, 
Mark  Antony  an  empire,  Confucius  his  place  at  court. 

“ I think  it  was  a Persian  king 

Who  used  to  say,  that  evermore 


THE  INFLUENCE  OF  CONFUCIUS. 


281 


In  human  life  each  evil  thing 

Comes  of  the  sex  that  men  adore ; 

In  brief,  that  nothing  e’er  befell 
To  harm  or  grieve  our  hapless  race, 

But,  if  you  probe  the  matter  well, 

/ You  ’ll  find  a woman  in  the  case ! ” 

Let  this  not  be  construed  as  a calumny  against  the 
better  half  of  the  human  race.  Antony  was  weaker  than 
Cleopatra,  and  the  prince  who  sent  Confucius  into  exile 
more  foolish  than  the  damsels  who  captivated  him  by 
their  wiles. 

At  the  age  of  fifty-six  Confucius  laid  aside  the  robes 
of  office,  left  the  province,  travelling  westward,  mel- 
ancholy and  depressed,  hunted  by  his  enemies,  who, 
having  driven  him  from  power,  determined  to  take  his 
life.  He  was  harassed  from  town  to  town,  from  the 
plains  to  the  mountains,  from  the  public  road  to  out-of- 
the-way  places,  and  forced  to  conceal  himself  in  lonely 
retreats,  where  he  bemoaned  his  lot  in  verse,  as  thus 
translated : — 

“ Through  the  valley  howls  the  blast, 

Drizzling  rain  falls  thick  and  fast, 

Homeward  goes  the  youthful  bride 
O’er  the  wild,  — crowds  by  her  side. 

How  is  it,  0 azure  heaven, 

From  my  home  I thus  am  driven, 

Through  the  land  my  way  to  trace, 

With  no  certain  dwelling-place  1 
Dark,  dark,  the  minds  of  men  ! 

Worth  in  vain  comes  to  their  ken. 

Hasten  on  my  term  of  years  : 

Old  age,  desolate,  disappears.” 

He  gathered  a band  of  disciples,  taught  them  moral 
aphorisms,  inculcated  virtue,  composed  hymns,  and  col- 
lected the  writings  of  the  ancients.  About  fifteen  years 
before  Ezra  annotated  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  Con- 
fucius collated  the  five  Sacred  Books  of  China,  which 
from  that  time  to  the  present,  through  twenty-three  cen- 


282 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


turies,  have  been  looked  upon  by  the  millions  of  this 
land  with  a reverence  akin  to  that  given  to  the  Old  Testa- 
ment by  the  Jews  and  the  Christian  nations  of  modern 
times.  Four  other  volumes  were  added  to  the  Sacred 
Books  by  his  disciples,  about  three  hundred  years  before 
Christ,  which  are  historical,  biographical,  and  poetical, 
with  aphorisms,  moral  precepts,  and  principles  of  political 
economy.  In  one  respect  they  are  in  marked  contrast  to 
the  Jewish  Scriptures,  the  religious  element  being  almost 
wholly  wanting. 

Confucius  himself  worshipped  the  spirits  of  his  ances- 
tors, also  heaven  and  earth.  He  believed  that  heaven 
had  power  to  govern,  reward,  and  punish,  and  he  offered 
prayers  and  sacrifices  to  the  Shang-Tai,  or  High  Euler. 

The  virtues  taught  by  him  were  benevolence,  righteous- 
ness, propriety,  knowledge,  and  faith.  This  moral  pre- 
cept inculcated  by  him,  “ "What  you  do  not  want  done  to 
yourself,  do  not  do  to  others,”  is  the  negative  side  of  the 
teachings  of  the  Saviour,  in  the  Sermon  on  the  Mount, 
delivered  nearly  four  hundred  and  fifty  years  later. 

AE  questions  relating  to  morals  and  government  are 
referred  to  the  writings  of  Confucius,  and  those  of  the 
ancients  revised  by  him,  as  the  ultimate  authority. 

The  civilization  of  the  present  time  — habits,  customs, 
social  life,  society  in  all  its  relations  — is  controlled  by 
a literature  coeval  with  that  of  ancient  Greece.  The  old 
civilization  has  not  been  changed  by  the  succession  of 
dynasties,  Tartar  conquest,  or  Buddhism.  Like  a river 
flowing  from  the  mountains  to  the  sea,  through  two 
thousand  years  it  has  pursued  its  almost  unvarying 
course. 

These  are  important  considerations  for  us  to  keep  in 
view  while  wandering  through  the  great  cities,  and  ob- 
serving the  manners  and  customs  of  the  people. 


SOUTHERN  CHINA. 


283 


CHAPTEE  XXX Y. 

SOUTHERN  CHINA. 

IGHT  of  the  eighteen  provinces  of  China  lie  south 


of  the  Yangtse-kiang  Eiver.  The  city  of  Canton  is 
the  commercial  metropolis  for  Kwangton  and  Kwangsi, 
which  are,  respectively,  about  as  large  as  New  York 
and  Pennsylvania.  The  trade  of  the  other  six  provinces 
centres  at  other  points,  — either  on  the  coast  or  on  the 
Yangtse.  The  Canton  Eiver  is  the  chief  avenue  of  com- 
merce for  the  two  provinces  already  named.  Its  rise  is  in 
the  southwest  part  of  the  empire. 

Very  little  is  known  of  Yunane,  which  has  an  area 
equal  to  that  of  Ohio  and  Indiana  combined,  except  that 
it  is  mountainous,  and  the  source  of  half  a dozen  great 
rivers,  which  discharge  themselves  into  the  Gulfs  of 
Tonquin  and  Siam.  The  Yangtse  runs  along  its  north- 
ern border.  It'  is  sparsely  settled,  — inhabited  by  wild 
tribes,  who  give  slight  allegiance  to  the  emperor.  In 
this  province  the  Taeping  rebellion  began.  The  people 
are  hardy,  brave,  powerful,  — the  Swiss  of  China,  — and 
almost  always  in  rebellion. 

The  northern  boundary  of  Kwangton  and  Kwangsi 
is  a chain  of  mountains,  which  has  a general  direction 
east  and  west,  and  which  separates  these  provinces  from 
the  central  ones  of  the  empire.  This  mountain  range 
was  a barrier  against  the  armies  of  Tartary,  in  the  times 
of  the  old  dynasties,  and  by  it  these  provinces  were  able 
to  resist  for  a long  while  the  conquerors  who  finally 
obtained  the  mastery.  Kwangton  has  five  hundred  miles 
of  sea-coast,  alluvial  lands  along  the  rivers,  fertile  valleys. 


284 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


and  sunny  liillsides.  Canton  is  the  richest,  and  said  to 
he  the  oldest,  city  of  the  empire. 

The  river  is  the  highway,  and  upon  it  float  innumerable 
junks  and  sampans.  Were  it  the  cool  season,  — October 
or  November,  — a delightful  trip  might  be  made  in  a 
boat,  at  comparatively  small  expense,  to  the  interior  of 
Kwangsi.  Were  we  to  go  up  the  stream  about  forty 
miles  we  should  find  a manufacturing  town  which  has 
a population  of  twenty  thousand.  We  are  not  to  pic- 
ture great  ranges  of  brick  buildings  six  stories  high,  or 
think  of  the  click  and  clatter  of  machinery,  as  at  Lowell 
or  Lawrence,  when  we  speak  of  Chinese  manufacturing 
towns.  Their  manufactures,  whether  of  silk  goods  or 
grass-cloth,  are  carried  on  by  individuals,  each  man  work- 
ing in  his  own  house.  Factory  organization  is  unknown. 
The  beautiful  silk  gauzes,  the  damask  cloths  that  are  still 
the  admiration  of  the  world,  are  woven  in  the  mean 
dwellings  of  the  poor  weavers,  where  cat  and  kittens,  dog 
and  puppies,  which  play  with  the  children,  are  raised  for 
food,  and  where  rats  are  trapped  to  satisfy  the  cravings 
of  hunger.  The  looms  which  turn  out  these  fine  fabrics 
are  of  the  rudest  construction.  The  whole  family,  from 
grandparent  to  grandchild,  has  a hand  in  the  spinning, 
dyeing,  and  weaving. 

Ancient  pagodas  line  the  banks,  and  tower  aloft  as  con- 
spicuous landmarks  on  the  hills.  They  are  the  relics  of 
a past  age,  — of  the  time  when  the  empire  was  in  its 
glory,  — when  public-spirited  individuals,  wishing  to  be 
kept  in  remembrance,  reared  these  edifices.  Very  few 
of  them  are  now  used  as  temples  ; they  are  moss-grown 
and  time-worn,  and  fast  going  to  decay. 

The  river  is  winding  in  its  course.  From  the  White 
Cloud  Hills,  which  lie  north  of  the  city,  it  may  be  seen 
for  a long  distance,  as  the  Connecticut  from  Mount  Tom 
or  the  Hudson  from  the  Highlands. 


SOUTHERN  CHINA. 


285 


The  cities  along  the  bank  are  numerous,  and  all  carry- 
on  a brisk  trade  -with  Canton.  European  fabrics,  cottons 
from  Manchester,  glass-ware,  especially  lamps,  Yankee 
clocks,  and  a great  variety  of  articles  from  the  West,  are 
to  be  found  in  these  interior  towns.  The  people  utilize 
the  tributary  streams  by  dams  and  sluices  for  irrigation, 
and  for  the  rearing  of  fish,  which  is  extensively  earned 
on.  The  steamer  which  plies  between  Canton  and  Hong 
Kong  usually  carries  a tank  filled  with  live  fish,  weighing 
from  one  to  two  pounds,  taken  from  ponds  up  river  and 
transported  alive  to  market,  where  we  see  eels,  shad, 
bass,  sole,  and  other  varieties.  The  Chinese  understand 
that  fish,  to  be  good,  must  be  taken  at  once  from  the 
tank  to  the  frying-pan.  We  shall  hardly  care  to  follow 
them  in  the  matter  of  cats  and  dogs,  but  the  fresh-fish 
dealers  in  the  markets  of  the  United  States  have  some- 
thing to  learn  in  regard  to  the  rearing  and  sale  of  the 
finny  tribe. 

The  river  is  navigable  for  steamers  to  the  borders  of 
Kwangsi,  though  thus  far  no  attempt  has  been  made  to 
supersede  the  junks,  there  being  no  treaty  port  above 
Canton.  It  is  hoped  that  the  visit  of  Ambassador  Bur- 
lingame to  the  Western  nations  will  result  in  the  open- 
ing of  the  whole  empire  to  foreigners,  that  the  Canton, 
Yangtse,  and  other  streams  will  be  free  to  steam  naviga- 
tion, and  that  railroads  will  be  introduced. 

Around  Canton  and  throughout  the  province  of  Kwang- 
ton  the  people  generally  can  read  and  write,  but  farther 
inland  there  is  more  ignorance,  less  refinement,  and  a 
lower  civilization. 

The  staple  exports  of  the  Kwangton  district  are  silk 
and  tea ; the  imports  rice,  opium,  and  cotton  goods.  But 
Canton  is  losing  its  trade.  The  rebellion  here  and  the 
rebellion  in  America  have  both  had  a damaging  effect 
upon  this  city.  The  Taepings  from  the  neighboring  prov- 


286 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ince  overrun  the  district,  ravaging  it  with  fire  and  sword. 
Then  came  the  war  in  the  United  States,  with  its  dis- 
turbing influences  in  the  cotton  market ; but  more  than 
this,  the  opening  of  Hankow  as  a treaty  port  on  the 
Yangtse  in  the  very  heart  of  China,  drawing  north- 
ward goods  which  formerly  came  to  Canton,  and  then  the 
grovdh  of  Hong  Kong  as  a free  port,  have  deprived  Can- 
ton of  its  pre-eminence.  In  1860  the  imports  amounted 
to  $ 18,400,000,  the  exports  to  $ 16,200,000.  In  1865 
the  imports  were  less  than  $ 8,000,00,  and  the  exports 
about  $ 13,000,000.  Yet  this  statement  alone  does  not 
convey  a correct  impression.  There  is  great  facility  for 
illicit  traffic.  Not  one  third  of  the  opium  sold  in  Canton 
passes  through  the  custom-house.  Just  before  reaching 
Canton,  on  our  passage  hither  from  Hong  Kong,  we  saw 
a box  tumble  from  the  steamer  into  the  river,  which  was 
picked  up  by  a boat  and  taken  ashore.  It  undoubtedly 
contained  opium,  and  vras  pitched  overboard  by  one  of 
the  Chinese  passengers,  who  had  his  confederates  waiting. 
The  Chinese  officials  are  as  willing  to  take  bribes  as  in- 
spectors of  customs  in  more  civilized  lands.  The  coast 
swarms  with  smugglers.  Salt  is  almost  the  only  article 
which  cannot  be  got  in  surreptitiously. 

The  country  south  of  Canton,  between  here  and  Ton- 
quin,  is  celebrated  for  its  silk.  The  hills  are  covered 
with  mulberry-trees.  The  silk  is  purchased  by  the  mer- 
chants of  Canton,  mainly  on  French  account.  Dealers 
come  with  their  samples,  showing  them  to  the  house  of 
Kussell  & Co.,  wTho  have  an  inspector,  a young  man  from 
Lyons,  who  from  early  childhood  has  been  looking  at  the 
texture  of  silk,  and  can  tell  at  a glance  or  a touch  its  quality 
and  value.  The  Chinese  have  not  yet  learned  that  hon- 
esty is  the  best  policy,  and  that  it  is  more  profitable  to 
produce  a good  article  than  a poor  one.  They  have  pecu- 
liar traits  of  character.  We  can  trust  them  vrith  any 


SOUTHERN  CHINA. 


287 


amount  of  money  or  merchandise ; but  tender  them  a 
dollar  in  payment  for  anything  purchased,  and  they  will 
adroitly  substitute  a counterfeit  piece,  and  hand  it  to  you 
with  an  air  of  innocence.  So  in  silk  producing ; if  they 
can  palm  off  a little  of  inferior  quality  with  the  good, 
they  think  it  clear  gam. 

The  principal  exports  to  the  United  States  from  this 
port  are  tea,  fire-crackers,  and  matting,  and  the  imports 
Spanish  coin  and  California  flour. 

The  Chinese  live  principally  on  rice,  but  they  have 
tasted  the  wheat  of  California,  and  possibly  this  may 
become  a profitable  trade  in  the  future. 

Macao  formerly  had  extensive  dealings  with  Canton, 
but  the  Portuguese,  who  reside  there,  have  lost  their  an- 
cient vigor.  It  is  a decaying  town,  beautifully  situated 
on  a peninsula,  presenting  a noble  front  to  the  harbor. 
The  location  is  superior  in  every  respect  to  that  of  Hong 
Kong.  The  harbor  is  sheltered  from  the  sea,  and  spa- 
cious and  deep  enough  for  the  largest  vessels  ; the  climate 
is  salubrious ; the  buildings  plain  solid  structures,  less 
imposing  than  those  of  Hong  Kong. 

Aside  from  the  beauty  of  the  place,  there  is  very  little 
to  interest  a visitor  at  Macao.  It  has  had  its  day,  and, 
like  Portugal,  has  gone  to  sleep.  Its  trade  now  is  insig- 
nificant compared  with  that  of  former  years,  when,  it  was 
the  only  port  on  the  South  China  coast.  It  is  now  the 
place  from  which  nearly  all  the  coolies  are  exported. 
The  Portuguese  take  more  readily  to  dealing  in  human 
flesh  and  blood  than  any  other  nation.  Formerly  they 
dealt  in  slaves,  but  now  in  coolies.  The  Chinese  govern- 
ment lias  interdicted  the  trade,  but  Portugal,  holding 
Macao,  can  carry  it  on  in  defiance  of  Pekin,  just  as  Eng- 
land can  the  opium  traffic. 

It  may  be  asked  how  the  coolies  can  be  obtained  in 
violation  of  law.  The  answer  will  show  the  weakness 


288 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


of  the  Imperial  government.  Here  in  the  provinces  of 
Kwangton  and  Kwangsi,  especially  in  the  southern  por- 
tions bordering  on  Tonquin,  there  is  very  little  govern- 
mental power ; the  people  are  divided  into  clans,  and  are 
subject  to  chiefs,  between  whom  there  are  frequent  wars. 
The  prisoners  taken  are  brought  to  Macao  and  sold  to 
the  Portuguese  by  half-castes,  who  are  travelling  through 
the  country  continually  stirring  up  strife. 

In  addition  to 
those  thus  pro- 
cured many  are 
kidnapped.  The 
coast  swarms  with 
pirates.  Some  now 
in  sight  quite  likely 
are  of  this  charac- 
ter. They  purchase 
their  cannon  of 
English  merchants 
at  Hong  Ivong,  sail 
along  the  coast,  at- 
tack and  plunder 
other  craft,  bring 
the  crews  to  some 
out  - of  - the  - way 
place,  and  sell  them 
a cooly.  tocooly-traders,the 

whole  proceeding 

being  winked  at  by  the  government  of  Macao,  which 
rests  itself  on  an  “ Emigration  Act  ” regulating  the 
traffic. 

Another  source  of  supply  is  from  the  gambling-houses. 
The  Chinese  are  such  inveterate  gamesters  that,  when 
their  money  is  gone,  they  stoke  themselves.  It  is  the 
custom  of  the  Chinese  to  pledge  their  bodies  whenever 


SOUTHERN  CHINA. 


289 


they  have  no  other  security  to  offer  their  creditors.  There 
are  “ crimps  ” in  the  employ  of  the  cooly-dealers,  who 
frequent  the  gambling-hells  of  the  interior  towns,  ready 
to  advance  a trifle  of  money  to  the  gamblers  on  their 
bodies;  when  they  have  lost  themselves  by  play,  they 
are  brought  to  Macao,  threatened  by  the  crimp  with 
death  if  they  do  not  give  proper  answers  to  the  “ com- 
missioner.” A few  questions  are  asked. 

“ Do  you  go  willingly  ? ” * . 

“Yes.” 

“ Of  your  own  accord  ? ” 

“Yes.” 

The  thing  is  done.  They  go  into  the  barracoon,  from 
the  barracoon  to  the  vessel ; are  taken  to  Cuba  or  Peru, 
or  some  other  place,  to  all  intents  and  purposes  slaves. 

Including  head-money,  they  cost  from  twenty-five  to 
thirty  dollars  apiece.  The  barracoon  keeper  or  dealer 
doubles  his  money,  selling  them  to  the  shipper  for  sixty 
or  seventy  dollars.  Insurance,  passage,  and  other  ex- 
penses bring  their  cost  to  about  two  hundred  dollars  at 
Havana,  where  these  emigrants  are  sold  for  eight  years’ 
service  at  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars.  Nearly 
fifteen  thousand  a year  are  shipped,  and  the  trade  is  in- 
creasing. 

The  Governor  of  Macao  is  appointed  by  the  king  of 
Portugal,  and  has  a salary  of  $ 3,750.  There  is  als®  a 
judge  and  a bishop,  each  having  a salary  of  $ 2,300.  All 
laws  are  made  by  the  senate,  consisting  of  three  persons, 
who  are  elected  by  the  people.  Suffrage  is  universal, 
that  is,  for  Portuguese  residents. 

If  a person  wishes  to  lead  a lazy,  careless,  good-for- 
nothing  life,  Macao  is  the  place  for  him.  The  inhabitants 
are  in  no  hurry  or  worry  about  business  ; provisions  are 
cheap,  the  climate  mild,  the  heat  of  summer  tempered  by 
the  monsoon ; the  atmosphere  conducive  to  indolence. 

13  s 


290 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Society  imposes  no  restraints  in  regard  to  morality ; there 
is  no  necessity  for  troubling  the  priest  to  pronounce  the 
marriage  vow ; they  only  ask  for  absolution  when  death 
steals  on  apace. 


ANY  of  the  central  towns  of  the  empire  were  in 


the  hands  of  the  rebels  during  the  Taeping  rebel- 
lion, and  suffered  severely,  losing  some  of  the  features  of 
the  old  civilization  ; but  Canton  was  not  taken  by  them. 
Slianghae  is  a modern  place,  while  Pekin  is  a Tartar  city, 
and  here,  therefore,  better  than  anywhere  else,  we  may 
study  the  characteristics  of  old  China. 

Going  a few  steps  down  a narrow  passage,  we  are  in 
one  of  the  principal  streets,  which  would  be  classed  as 
a lane  or  alley  in  an  American  town.  The  widest 
thoroughfare  in  the  city  would  scarcely  admit  a car- 
riage drawn  by  horses.  Keeping  the  points  of  compass 
in  mind,  and  heeding  our  turnings,  we  enter  the  labyrinth. 
The  houses  are  usually  two  stories  in  height,  wTith  tiled 
roofp,  projecting  eaves,  and  overhanging  balconies, — shops 
in  the  lower  story,  rooms  for  the  family  above. 

Chinese  art  has  adorned  door-post,  cornice,  curved  roof, 
' and  ridge-pole  with  dragons.  Each  shop  has  an  elaborate 
perpendicular  sign-board,  painted  in  chrome,  vermilion, 
and  purple,  with  letters  in  green  or  gold,  while  flags  and 
banners  are  suspended  from  cords  drawn  across  the  street. 
Doors  and  windows  are  open,  for  it  is  a mild  climate  and 
glass  is  little  used. 

We  see,  in  addition  to  the  signs  and  banners,  a gorgeous 


CHAPTER  XXX YI. 


A RAMBLE  IN  CANTON. 


A RAMBLE  IN  CANTON. 


291 


display  of  lanterns,  — bamboo  frames  covered  with  red, 
yellow,  blue,  or  green  oiled  silk,  pictured  with  genii  and 
gnomes  in  all  the  grotesqueness  of  Chinese  art.  Some 
are  not  larger  than  a small  market-basket,  others  six  or 
eight  feet  in  diameter. 

The  goods  in  the 
shops  are  displayed 
in  the  most  tempt- 
ing manner.  We 
see  porcelain  vases, 
worth  hundreds  of 
dollars ; lacquered 
wares,  elaborately 
ornamented ; silk 
robes,  elegantly  em- 
broidered ; fans 
manufactured  from 
peacocks’  tails,  for 
the  officials  of  the 
empire;  sedans, 
glittering  with  sil- 
ver and  gold,  for 
the  wealthy  classes. 

A jostling  crowd 
fills  the  street. 

Hucksters  with  AN  OPEN  C0UNTEXA-N'cE- 

baskets  or  trays  on  their  heads  are  shouting  with  stento- 
rian voices  the  excellence  of  their  cabbages,  melons,  and 
onions. 

The  provision  shops  are  supplied  with  mutton,  pork, 
chickens,  turkeys,  and  ducks.  Here  comes  a cooly  with 
tv o he  pigs,  tied  by  the  legs,  hanging  from  his  bam- 
boo. They  protest  against  going  to  market  in  this  fash- 
lon  by  a vigorous  squealing,  which  sets  all  the  dogs  in 
the  vicinity  howling. 


292 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


But  dogs  go  to  market  as  well  as  pigs.  The  carcasses 
of  five  fat  curs  are  hanging  on  the  hooks  of  one  establish- 
ment. A pedler,  leading  a lot  of  puppies,  and  carrying 
a basket  containing  several  kittens,  enters  the  shop.  He 
strikes  a bargain  with  the  provision-dealer,  who  puts  them 
into  cages  for  future  customers.  The  shopman  has  no 
rats  on  hand  to-day,  but  we  can  find  them  at  other  stalls. 


GOING  TO  MARKET. 


In  a tub  near  the  door  is  a squirming  mass  of  young 
eels,  and  in  a tank  supplied  with  fresh  water  a vari- 
ety of  fish.  A well-dressed  customer  enters,  points  to 
a large  fish,  which  the  shopman  catches  in  a dip-net, 
dresses  it  on  the  spot,  saving  the  head  and  entrails.  A 
second  customer,  a poor  cooly  who  can  only  manage  by 
hard  work  and  strict  economy  to  keep  sold  and  body  to- 
gether comes  in,  haggles  awhile  over  the  price,  departs 
with  the  intestines  of  the  fish,  the  comb  of  a cockerel, 
and  a joint  of  puppy  ! 

It  would  not  be  giving  a fair  representation  of  the  Chi- 
nese to  represent  them  all  as  eating  cats,  dogs,  rats, 


A RAMBLE  IN  CANTON. 


293 


mice,  and  garbage  in  general ; the  majority  of  the  people 
live  on  rice  and  fish  ; hut  in  a country  so  densely  popu- 
lated as  this,  everything  that  can  sustain  human  life  must 
be  brought  into  requisition. 

We  must  look  sharp  if  we  would  not  he  run  down  by 
the  coolies,,  who  stream  past  in  an  endless  procession,  car- 
rying bundles,  boxes,  bags,  bales  of  goods,  — all  wearing 
bamboo  hats  with  rims  so  broad  that  in  some  of  the 
narrow  alleys  they  are  obliged  to  tip  them  on  one  side 
to  pass.  We  meet  water-carriers  with  buckets,  and  sell- 
ers of  all  sorts  of  wares.  A dozen  men  stagger  along  with 
a large  block  of  granite,  shouting  in  chorus,  “ Hootoo, 
hootoo  ! ” — Get  out  of  the  way ! get  out  of  the  way  ! 

Although  Europeans  have  been  at  Canton  for  nearly 
a century,  we  cannot  walk  the  streets  without  at- 
tracting attention.  An  old  man,  seeing  us,  raises  his 
grandchild,  — we  know  he  is  a grandfather  because  he 
wears  a mustache,  — points  us  out  to  the  little  one  as 
a curiosity,  just  as  many  American  grandparents  might 
do  if  this  gentleman  were  to  appear  in  the  United  States 
with  his  pigtail,  broad-brimmed  hat,  and  pointed  shoes 
turned  up  at  the  toes.  We  hear  him  say,  “ Ean  Kwei ! 
Fan  Kwei ! ” — Foreign  devil,  foreign  devil. 

In  travelling  it  is  policy  to  get  the  good-will  of  stran-  • 
gers,  and  we  reply  “ Chin-chin,”  which  is  equivalent  to 
How  do  you  do  ? and  we  have  the  pleasure  of  hearing 
Chin-chin  in  return.  Putting  our  fists  together  and 
shaking  them  at  the  gentleman,  we  make  a profound 
salaam.  Not  to  be  outdone  in  politeness,  he  shakes  his 
at  us,' makes  the  little  one  in  his  arms,  with  a funny  tail 
sprouting  from  the  crown  of  his  head,  put  his  hands  to- 
gether and  say  Chin-chin  ! and  so  we  bow  and  chin-chin 
and  shake  our  fists,  greatly  to  the  amusement  of  the  gath- 
ering crowd. 

An  amusing  story  is  told  of  the  fright  given  to  a Chi- 


294 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


nese  barber,  who  once  shaved  a bald-headed  English- 
man. While  his  back  was  turned  the  customer,  taking 
a wig  from  his  hat,  placed  it  on  his  head.  The  sud- 
den growth  of  hair  almost  frightened  the  barber  out 
of  his  senses.  He  fled  from  the  shop  fully  persuaded 
that  he  had  been  shaving  the  Old  Hairy  ! 

Old  China  Street, 
as  the  foreigners 
have  named  one 
of  the  passages,  is 
a great  resort  for 
minstrels,  fortune- 
tellers, gamblers, 
astrologers,  and 
quack  doctors. 

A company  of 
musicians  are  giv- 
ing a concert  in  a 
small  building,  and 
we  work  our  way 
through  the  crowd 
at  the  door.  Being 
a foreigner,  we  are 
invited  to  take  a 
seat  in  front  of  the 
minstrels,  — three 
women  sitting  on 
a raised  platform, 
their  faces  painted  with  vermilion,  their  hair  stiffly  starched 
and  decorated  with  flowers.  Their  voices  are  shrill  and 
sharp,  their  singing  a distressing  wail.  They  are  accom- 
panied by  an  orchestra  composed  of  a one-stringed  fiddle, 
a drum,  and  gong.  Its  best  counterpart  is  the  rolling  of 
the  sheet-iron  thunder  behind  the  scenes  of  a theatre  to 
represent  the  coming  on  of  a storm. 


OLD  HAIRY. 


A RAMBLE  IN  CANTON. 


295 


Passing  on  a few  steps,  we  enter  the  shop  of  an  apoth- 
ecary, who  has  bundles  of  herbs,  jars,  phials,  and  boxes 
filled  with  drugs  and  medicines.  Conspicuous  among  his 
nostrums  are  dried  snake-skins,  coiled  in  artistic  forms 
around  the  pillars  supporting  the  roof,  or  tied  in  double- 
knots on  the  counter.  An  assistant  is  mixing  some  sort 
of  medicament  in  a 
mortar,  putting  in 
different  herbs  and 
a piece  of  serpent- 
skin.  It  will  hardly 
do  to  laugh  at  him, 
for  there  are  people 
in  the  United  States 
who  are  fully  per- 
suaded of  the  vir- 
tues of  the  hearts 
of  rattlesnakes  in 
curing  particular 
diseases. 

The  apothecary 
pulls  teeth.  He  has 
done  a deal  of  busi- 
ness in  that  line, 
for  he  has  nearly  a 
half-bushel  of  old  the  orchestra. 

stumps  in  a basket 

by  the  door.  We  have  seen  a quart  or  two  displayed 
by  dentists  in  American  cities,  but  population  is  more 
dense  here  than  in  the  United  States.  He  has  a patient 
afflicted  with  rheumatism  in  the  knee,  who  lies  upon  a 
mat  while  the  doctor  is  removing  the  disease  by  the 
use  of  cupping-glasses,  and  by  rubbing  the  afflicted  parts 
with  his  hand. 

Many  of  the  passers-by  stop  for  a moment  at  the  gam- 


296 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


bling-stalls,  to  try  their  luck  at  cards,  dice,  or  dominos. 
They  begin  the  game  by  'dividing  the  cards  into  six  little 
packs.  The  first  player  lays  a card  on  the  table,  his  op- 
ponent places  one  immediately  across  it,  the  others  are 
arranged  at  all  the  points  of  the  compass,  in  the  form  of 
a star,  each  man  scoring  the  respective  value  of  his  cards 
as  the  play  goes  on.  The  stakes  are  a few  “ cash,”  — 
small  copper  coins,  ten  of  them  equivalent  to  a cent. 
They  play  for  a dinner  or  supper,  or  pledge  their  clothing 
when  they  have  nothing  else,  so  strong  is  the  passion. 


The  fortune-tellers  are  nu- 
merous, sitting  at  small,  por- 
table tables,  which  they  carry 
away  at  night.  One  of  the 
tribe,  who  seems  to  be  very 
popular,  judging  by  the  crowd 
around  him,  is  an  old  man, 
wearing  immense  spectacles 
with  round  glasses,  set  in 
bamboo  frames.  Upon  the 
table  is  a shallow  wooden 
bowl,  with  a diagram  of  fig- 
ures and  characters  painted 
inside.  He  shakes  his  dice 
in  a small  tortoise-shell,  drops 
them  into  the  bowl,  notes  the 
characters  upon  which  they 
rest,  repeats  the  operation 
three  times,  and  then  writes 
out  the  decisions  of  the  Fates 
in  regard  to  the  future  of 
the  anxious  young  gentleman, 
who  pays  his  cash  and  gives 
place  to  another  customer. 

Women  are  not  so  shy  as 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  THE  OCEAN  BANNER. 


297 


those  of  India ; they  appear  on  the  street  without  veils. 
Most  women  in  China  are  obliged  to  work  for  a living, 
and  their  feet  are  of  natural  size.  Those  of  the  upper 
class,  whose  feet  have  been  subjected  to  cruel  and  un- 
natural compression  in  childhood,  fare  badly  if  misfortune 
overtakes  them.  They  can  only  toddle  about  like  little 
children  just  able  to  walk,  and  are  wholly  incapacitated 
for  labor.  But  the  ancient  practice  is  still  adhered  to  by 
the  wealthy  classes.  “ Why  do  you  keep  up  such  a cus- 
tom ? ” inquired  an  American  gentleman  of  a leading 
merchant. 

" Small  foot-ee  woman  no  go  walk-ee  — walk-ee  — 
walk-ee  !”  was  his  reply;  by  which  we  are  to  understand 
that  Chinese  ladies  like  to  walk  the  streets,  and  see  what 
is  to  be  seen,  as  well  as  women  of  other  lands. 

The  accompanying  illustration  is  the  exact  outline  of 
the  sole  of  a shoe,  showing  the  size  of  one  which  has  been 
worn  by  a Chinese  lady  of  Hong  Kong. 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

THE  TEMPLE  OF  THE  OCEAN  BANNER. 

Taking  a boat,  we  cross  the  river,  and  land  at  a 
small  pier  in  front  of  the  “Great  Temple  of  the 
Ocean  Banner,”  one  of  the  oldest  Buddhist  edifices  of 
Canton.  It  stands  on  the  island  of  Honam,  and  is  called 
the  temple  of  Honam  by  foreigners ; but  the  Chinese 
delight  in  flowery  names. 

Passing  through  a gate,  we  enter  a large  yard  paved 
with  stone,  and  walk  up  a long  avenue  beneath  old 
trees.  This  is  the  outer  court  of  the  temple,  in  which  is  a 


298 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


building  of  one  story,  with  a curved  roof,  adorned  with 
figures  of  dragons  and  satyrs,  peering  from  the  cornices, 
perched  at  the  angles,  or  sitting  astride  the  ridge-pole. 
Ascending  the  stone  steps  and  entering  the  wide  doorway, 
we  are  confronted  by  a huge  idol  with  an  ugly  coun- 
tenance. 

The  temple  is  guarded  by  this  warder,  Mi-leh-fuh,  who 
has  an  assistant  close  by,  — an  image  mailed  from  head 
to  foot,  and  wielding  a bludgeon.  He  is  the  spiritual 
policeman  of  the  place,  — the  terror  of  evil-doers,  and 
especially  of  thieves.  A little  farther  and  we  come  upon 
four  other  figures,  one  bearing  the  holy  umbrella.  When 
he  spreads  it,  heaven  and  earth  are  darkened ! Another 
holds  a guitar-shaped  instrument ; he  is  the  Orpheus  of 
the  Chinese  Pantheon,  and  has  power  over  dragons. 
The  third  bears  a long  sword,  the  emblem  of  domin- 
ion ; while  the  fourth  is  a sort  of  St.  Patrick,  — an 
exterminator  of  snakes. 

Passing  through  this  edifice  we  enter  the  inner  court, 
and  beyond  it  behold  the  temple  itself,  — a building  of 
the  same  general  features  externally  as  the  one  just  de- 
scribed, but  larger.  It  is  eighty  or  ninety  feet  in  length, 
seventy  or  eighty  wide,  and  about  fifty  high. 

Stepping  within,  we  see  the  whole  interior  at  a glance. 
It  is  a large  room  with  tiled  floor  and  brick  walls,  the 
rafters  and  beams  exposed  and  festooned  with  cobwebs. 
The  dim  light  which  struggles  in  through  the  narrow 
windows  serves  to  reveal  the  dinginess  of  the  place, 
which  bears  a strong  resemblance  to  a dilapidated  iron- 
foundry.  The  “ Three  Precious  Ones,”  ■ — representing 
the  Past,  Present,  and  Future,  — occupy  the  space  in 
the  centre.  They  are  images  about  twenty  feet  high, 
sitting  cross-legged  amid  lotus-flowers.  Sticks  of  san- 
dal-wood are  smouldering  on  an  altar,  filling  the  build- 
ing with  fragrance.  Looking  through  the  smoky  atmos- 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  THE  OCEAN  BANNER. 


299 


phere,  we  see  a demon  in  one  corner,  a big  bell  in 
another,  and  a pot-bellied  wooden  fish  between  them. 
It  is  the  hour  for  worship.  One  man  beats  the  drum, 
another  tolls  the  bell,  a third  rattles  a tattoo  upon  the 
fish,  while  a procession  of  priests,  wearing  soiled  robes 
of  red,  yellow,  and  green  silk,  files  in  and  forms  round 
the  idols. 

These  fellows  are  supported  by  endowments  and  gifts, 
and  are  as  lazy,  well  fed,  and  filthy  as  some  of  the 
monks  which  we  see  in  the  streets  of  Borne.  They  bow 
to  the  images,  and  to  each  other,  march  backward  and 
forward,  kneel,  — the  high-priest  chanting  a prayer  in  old 
Hindustani,  the  others  responding  in  the  same  language, 
of  which  they  probably  understand  as  little  as  they  do  of 
Hottentot.  They  lay  paper  flowers  upon  the  altar, 
wreathe  them  round  the  golden  candlesticks,  kneel  and 
bow  again,  going  through  a ceremonial  very  much  like 
that  of  the  Catholic  Church. 

It  is  impossible  for  us  to  give  an  extended  description 
of  the  religions  of  China.  Sects  here  are  as  numerous 
as  in  Christian  lands,  but  they  may  all  be  comprehended 
in  three  systems,  — Buddhist,  Tauist,  and  Confucian. 

The  Tauist  religion  is  the  oldest. 

The  name  of  the  deity  worshipped  by  this  sect  is 
Lao-ts,  which,  literally  rendered,  means  the  “ Old  Boy  ! ” 
About  the  time  that  Solon  was  giving  his  new  code  of 
laws  to  the  Athenians,  600  B.  C.,  a philosopher  appeared 
in  China  who  wrote  a remarkable  work  entitled  “ Tau-teh- 
king,”  a treatise  on  Truth  and  Virtue. 

This  book  taught  that,  thousands  of  years  before 
the  Creation,  there  was  an  unembodied  living  prin- 
ciple existing  in  vacant  space.  There  were  transfor- 
mations, evolutions,  general  mixings  up  and  turnings 
over  for  innumerable  ages,  then  the  principle  appeared  as 
a deity  bearing  the  name  of  “ Holy  Euler  of  Wonderful 


300 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Nonentity.”  Other  ages  rolled  away ; succeeding  trans- 
formations took  place,  and  he  appeared  as  the  “ Holy 
Ruler  of  Wonderful  Entity,”  and  then  as  the  “ Holy 
Euler  of  Chaotic  Confusion.” 

After  the  creation  of  man,  he  dropped  from  heaven 
in  the  form  of  a hall,  falling  into  the  open  mouth  of 
a virgin  who  was  asleep.  He  was  not  horn  till  eighty- 
one  years  after.  At  birth  his  hair  was  white  with  old 
age,  and  so  he  was  named  the  Old  Boy  ! 

Nearly  a thousand  years  ago  one  of  the  kings  of  the 
Sung  dynasty  composed  this  hymn  of  adoration  to 
this  deity,  otherwise  called  Tau  : — 

“ Great  and  most  excellent  Tau, 

Not  created,  self-existent ; 

From  eternities  to  eternities, 

Antecedent  to  the  earth  and  heaven, 

Like  all-pervading  light, 

Continuing  through  eternity : 

Who  gave  instruction  to  Confucius  in  the  East, 

And  called  into  existence  Buddha  in  the  West. 

Director  of  all  kings  ; 

Parent  of  all  sages  ; 

Originator  of  all  religions  ; 

Mystery  of  mysteries.” 

Besides  the  Old  Boy  there  are  numerous  gods  in  the 
Tauist  religion,  many  of  which  are  akin  to  those  of  the 
Buddhist  Pantheon.  Su-tsn  is  the  great  medicine  god  of 
China,  to  whom  prayers  are  offered  in  sickness. 

Lue-kung  has  a big  drum  and  manufactures  thunder, 
while  his  wife  Lue-po  makes  the  lightning  by  using  a 
looking-glass  to  reflect  the  sun  ! 

The  dragon,  the  emblem  of  which  is  on  the  flag  of 
China,  is  one  of  the  deities  of  this  sect.  This  god  has 
dominion  over  lakes,  rivers,  seas,  clouds,  and  tempests. 
He  has  myriads  of  inferior  dragons  at  command.  Fish, 
crabs,  turtles,  lobsters,  and  snakes,  which  are  of  the 
lower  class,  are  in  a state  of  progression,  and  from  time 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  THE  OCEAN  BANNER. 


301 


to  time  are  elevated  according  to  their  merits.  These  and 
numerous  other  superstitions  are  held  by  the  Tauists, 
and  by  some  of  the  other  sects  as  well. 

Tauism  is  the  court  religion  of  the  empire.  Its  forms 
and  ceremonials  are  imposing,  but  it  is  not  so  popular  a 
belief  as  the  Buddhist,  which  is  the  principal  religion  of 
Eastern  Asia,  accepted  by  a third  part  of  the  human  race. 

The  Confucian  religion,  which  is  based  on  reverence 
for  parents,  has  taken  the  form  of  ancestral  worship.  In 
houses  and  shops  we  see  tablets  setting  forth  the  virtues 
of  the  dead,  and  shall  doubtless  have  an  opportunity  of 
witnessing  this  form  of  worship. 

Wandering  at  will  through  the  grounds  adjoining  this 
Temple  of  the  Ocean  Banner  we  come  upon  a pigsty  and 
hennery  fdled  with  imprisoned  spirits.  A plump  rooster 
gives  a lusty  crow,  which  we  may  consider  as  a cry  of 
welcome  from  a gay  old  cock  of  other  days,  who,  having 
sinned  while  in  the  form  of  man,  has  gone  hack  in  the 
scale  of  creation  to  do  penance  in  the  shape  of  a rooster  ! 
Old  gentlemen  of  former  times,  who  did  something 
wrong  while  alive,  are  now  snoozing  in  the  sty.  The 
priests  see  that  they  are  well  fed,  for  who  knows  hut  they 
may  become  porkers  by  and  by,  needing  good  fare  ! 

The  Buddhist  monks  or  priests  live  in  the  temple. 
Their  kitchen  is  in  an  adjoining  building,  with  large  cop- 
per boilers  for  cooking,  ovens  for  baking,  tubs  for  wash- 
ing, and  beneath  the  same  roof  are  their  dining-tables. 
In  another  building,  which  has  a veranda  overlooking 
a large  garden,  are  the  sleeping  apartments.  Americans 
would  not  consider  the  accommodations  very  inviting,  but 
to  most  Chinese  they  would  be  luxurious. 

What  has-  been  said  of  another  monastery  is  applicable 
to  this  of  the  Ocean  Banner  : — 

“ Within  the  quiet  of  the  convent  cell 
The  well-fed  inmates  pattered  prayers  and  slept, 

And  liked  their  easy  penance  well.” 


302 


OUK  NEW  WAY  BOUND  THE  WORLD. 


Recrossing  the  river,  taking  sedans,  and  entering  one  of 
the  most  crowded  streets  of  the  city,  we  are  set  down  in 
the  outer  court  of  a temple  which  is  dedicated  to  the  god 
who  has  the  city  in  his  keeping. 

Here  we  behold  a representation  of  the  future  life,  — 
plaster  images  portraying  the  transmigration  of  souls.  A 
boy  is  changing.  ,to  a dog.  One  man  has  horns  growing 
from  his  forehead,  his  feet  and  hands  are  changing  to 
hoofs,  a tail  is  sprouting  from  his  back.  He  will  soon 
be  a bull.  A third  is  changing  to  an  ass ; head  and 
ears  are  already  on.  (Perhaps  that  is  not  so  very  re- 
markable !)  We  see  no  transformations  of  the  female 
sex.  For  them  there  is  no  future. 


TRANSMIGRATION. 


In  another  portion  of  the  building  are  the  horrors  of 
the  Buddhist  hell.  The  devils  have  a grist-mill  in  which 
they  grind  up  the  wicked.  One  sinner  has  been  put 
in  headforemost,  and  we  see  only  his  feet  sticking  out 
of  the  hopper.  The  two  demons  turning  the  mill  are  en- 
gaged in  pleasant  work,  judging  by  their  sardonic  grins. 


THE  TEMPLE  OF  THE  OCEAN  BANNER. 


303 


The  interior  of  the  temple  is  very  much  like  that  of 
the  Ocean  Banner,  only  that  this  is  not  so  dingy,  while 
the  crimson  hangings  over  the  idols  are  more  gorgeous, 
and  the  crowd  of  worshippers  is  vastly  greater.  Numer- 
ous idols  are  set  in  niches  along  the  walls.  In  an  adjoin- 
ing apartment  is  the  goddess  of  flowers  with  her  thirty 
muses,  accompanied  by  the  god  of  the  kitchen  and  the 
all-protecting  dragons. 


THE  GRINDERS. 


Joss-sticks,  as  they  are  called,  are  smoking  on  the 
altars.  These  are  composed  of  slow-burning  composi- 
tions, — like  the  port-fire  for  touching  off  cannon  in  use 
before  the  invention  of  percussion  primers. 

A poor  woman  is  before  the  altar,  trying  to  ascertain 
what  the  gods  have  in  store  for  her,  by  using  two  small 
pieces  of  wood  resembling  the  two  halves  of  a pear. 
She  kneels,  throws  the  luck -blocks  on  the  ground  ; tries 
again ; a third  time,  and  departs  with  a sad  countenance ; 
the  gods  will  not  hear  her  prayer.  If  a flat  and  a round 
side  had  come  up  together  twice  out  of  the  three  trials, 
her  request  would  have  been  granted,  and  she  would  have 
gone  home  with  a lighter  heart. 


304 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


A man  kneels  in  her  place,  with  a cylindrical  box  in 
his  hands,  open  at  the  top,  and  containing  several  small 
wooden  sticks,  which  are  numbered.  He  shakes  the 
box  till  one  stick  falls  out,  then  consults  the  book  of 
omens.  The  responses  are  vaguely  written.  Oracles  in 
all  ages  have  been  indefinite.  The  superstitious  hopes 
and  fears  of  those  who  resort  to  them  make  them  favor- 
able or  unfavorable.  This  worshipper  is  evidently  well 
pleased  at  his  luck,  for  he  rises  with  alacrity,  touches  off 
several  bunches  of  fire-crackers,  burns  a quire  or  two  of 
gilt  paper  on  the  altar,  pays  over  his  cash  to  the  waiting 
priest,  and  departs  with  a cheerful  countenance.  There 
is  a continual  exploding  of  fire-crackers  throughout  the 
temple,  — which,  with  the  beating  of  drums,  makes  the 
worship  very  much  like  the  irrepressible  patriotism  mani- 
fested on  the  Fourth  of  July  in  the  United  States. 


HE  missionaries  can  give  you  more  information 


than  anybody  else,”  said  a friend  at  Hong  Kong  ; 
“ they  know  all  the  city,  are  in  daily  contact  with  the 
people,  and  speak  the  language  with  fluency.” 

We  saw  the  Presbyterian  Mission  buildings  from  the 
deck  of  the  steamer  as  we  came  up  the  river.  Threading 
our  way  through  the  narrow  streets,  we  soon  reach  them. 
A Chinaman  in  a brown  cotton  frock  opens  a gate,  and 
gives  us  admission.  There  are  two  substantial  houses  of 
brick,  two  stories  high,  with  verandas,  a large  chapel,  and 
several  smaller  buildings. 


CHAPTEK  XXXVIII. 


MORAL  FORCES. 


MORAL  FORCES. 


305 


We  have  hearty  welcome  from  Rev.  Mr.  Preston,  and 
Dr.  Keer,  both  of  whom  are  connected  with  the  mission. 

In  1835,  a third  of  a century  ago,  Dr.  Peter  Parker  of 
Boston,  a missionary  of  the  American  Board,  was  here 
in  Canton,  and  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing  a medi- 
cal hospital.  By  curing  the  diseases  of  the  body,  he 
hoped  to  commend  the  religion  of  Jesus  to  the  Chinese. 
In  1841  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  having  heard 
of  the  project,  passed  a series  of  resolutions  approving  it, 
and  appointed  a committee  to  present  the  matter  to  the 
merchants  of  Boston,  and  the  result  of  this  action  was 
a fund  of  about  five  thousand  dollars.  The  charity  was 
brought  before  the  English  and  American  merchants  of 
Canton,  who  formed  an  association  known  as  the  Medical 
Missionary  Society  of  China.  Since  then  the  society  has 
gone  on  enlarging  its  sphere  of  operations.  The  mer- 
chants contribute  annually  to  defray  the  necessary  ex- 
penses. The  Parsees  also  make  liberal  donations. 

Dr.  Keer  is  the  principal  physician  and  surgeon;  he 
has  several  Chinese  assistants,  some  of  whom  have  be- 
come learned  and  skilful.  There  are  other  physicians  in 
the  inland  towns,  operating  under  his  direction. 

We  find  the  Doctor  at  home,  his  family  occupying  the 
chambers  of  the  hospital  building.  It  is  the  hour  for 
seeing  the  patients,  and  we  go  down  the  long  stairs  to 
a crowd  of  men,  women,  and  children  in  the  chapel. 
It  is  a plain  edifice,  with  the  Ten  Commandments  and 
Lord’s'  Prayer  in  Chinese  characters  on  the  walls.  While 
Dr.  Keer  is  attending  to  the  patients  in  an  adjoining 
room,  Mr.  Preston  talks  upon  the  truths  of  the  Bible  and 
the  Christian  religion. 

About  twenty  persons  are  in  the  dispensary,  — one 
woman  with  an  incurable  cancer,  another  with  one  cheek 
thrice  its  usual  size.  The  Doctor  whips  out  his  lancet, 
and  in  a trice  the  patient  is  relieved  of  the  pain  pro- 


306 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


duced  by  an  ulcerated  jaw.  A mother  is  solicitous  for 
the  little  child  in  her  arms.  One  person  shows  the 
scrofula,  which  is  eating  the  flesh  from  her  limbs.  Step- 
ping into  an  adjoining  room,  we  see  a man  who  had  half 
of  his  under  jaw  taken  out  last  week,  and  is  recovering. 
So  on  through  the  long  catalogue  of  disease.  Those 
patients  who  require  constant  treatment  are  lodged  in 
the  hospital,  others  are  cared  .for  by  their  relatives. 
They  look  upon  Dr.  Keer  as  their  best  friend,  and  trust 
themselves  implicitly  in  his  hands. 

It  will  be  gratifying  to  the  merchants  of  Boston,  who 
contributed  money  to  start  this  enterprise,  to  know  that 
twenty-six  thousand  patients  were  treated  last  year,  and 
that  the  society  has  the  confidence  of  the  Chinese.  It  is 
under  the  direction  of  the  missionaries  of  the  Presby- 
terian Board,  but  the  treasury  of  that  society  is  not 
chargeable  with  any  of  the  expenses.  It  is  a great 
civilizing  and  Christianizing  agency. 

“ The  Medical  Society  is  doing  more  than  anything 
else  to  remove  prejudice  against  foreigners  from  the 
minds  of  the  Chinese,”  said  a gentleman  who  has  long 
resided  at  Hong  Kong. 

The  idea  is  almost  universal  among  the  natives,  or 
rather  it  has  been,  that  the  missionaries  have  a political 
object  in  view.  They  cannot  understand  why  foreigners 
should  leave  their  homes  and  settle  in  China  to  preach 
religion,  unless  it  is  for  some  such  sinister  purpose. 

“ I preach  every  day  to  the  Chinese,”  says  Mr.  Preston ; 
“ would  you  like  to  see  what  sort  of  a congregation 
I have  ? ” 

“ By  all  means.” 

We  take  our  seats  in  sedans,  and  are  carried  through 
the  streets,  coming  at  length  into  one  of  the  principal 
thoroughfares,  and  stop  before  a little  store  kept  by  the 
missionaries  for  the  sale  of  books.  Dozens  of  people  are 


MORAL  FORCES. 


307 


already  there,  waiting  for  the  opening  of  the  doors  of  the 
adjoining  chapel.  It  is  one  o’clock,  and  the  tide  of  life 
surging  through  the  city  is  at  its  flood.  A preacher  would 
have  a shin  audience  in  State  or  Wall  Street,  at  ’Change 
hour ; hut  the  Chinese  are  an  old  people,  their  empire 
is  finished,  their  civilization  complete,  and  time  is  a drug. 
They  have  abundant  leisure,  while  we  foreign  barbarians 
are  worrying  and  hurrying  ourselves  to  death. 

The  chapel  is  furnished  with  settees  capable  of  seat- 
ing two  hundred  or  more.  Sitting  by  the  desk,  we 
have  an  opportunity  to  observe  the  audience.  On  the 
front  seats  are  some  literary  students,  — young  men 
who  are  studying  for  official  employment,  well  dressed 
in  white,  clean  frocks  and  trousers,  their  pigtails  neatly 
braided.  At  our  right  hand  is  a bare-headed  cooly  with 
three  bundles  and  a porter-bottle  in  his  arms.  He  has 
stepped  in  to  rest  himself  a few  minutes,  and  to  hear 
what  the  “foreign  devil”  has  to  say.  Behind  him  is 
one  wearing  a broad-brimmed  hat.  Men  of  all  ages,  all 
conditions,  from  the  well-to-do  merchant  down  to  the 
poor  wretch  who  lives  on  rice  and  snails,  residents  of  the 
city  and  strangers  from  the  country,  compose  the  audi- 
ence. 

These  men  are  actuated  by  various  motives,  — love  of 
novelty  and  curiosity  to  hear  a foreigner  speak  fluently 
in  their  language  perhaps  be'ng  the  prevailing  ones. 
They  are  not  accustomed  to  hear  public  speaking  ; they 
have  their  story-tellers,  but  no  orators  or  gatherings 
where  arguments  are  put  forth.  "Very  few  of  them  are 
seekers  after  truth,  and  their  conceptions  of  the  Chris- 
tian religion  are  exceedingly  low ; but  yet  every  day  they 
flock  to  the  chapel  to  hear  this  American  preacher,  a 
short,  thick-set,  good-natured  man,  who  understands 
their  language  perfectly,  and  is  well  read  in  their  liter- 
ature. 


308 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


His  subject  to-day  is  the  conflict  between  good  and 
evil,  holiness  and  sin.  A young  man  with  bright  eyes,  a 
student,  breaks  in : — 

“ If  your  doctrine  is  true,  why  don’t  you  foreigners 
practise  it ; why  do  you  bring  opium  to  China  ? ” 

A home  question,  practical,  right  to  the  point.  The 
audience  are  alert  to  hear  what  Mr.  Preston  will  say. 

“There  are  wicked  men  all  over  the  world;  and  if 
foreigners  bring  opium  to  China,  you  must  have  nothing 
to  do  with  it.” 

The  laugh  which  goes  up  shows  that  the  audience 
appreciate  the  reply. 

“ Why  did  you  make  war  upon  China  ? "Why  do  you 
come  and  take  the  coolies  and  make  slaves  of  them  ? ” 
another  asks.  The  replies  are  evidently  satisfactory, 
judging  by  the  good-humor  of  the  audience. 

The  church  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  Mission 
numbers  between  thirty  and  forty  members.  The  Church 
of  England,  the  London  Missionary  Society,  and  the 
English  Wesleyans  all  have  missionaries  at  Canton. 

Taking  our  sedans  again,  we  are  carried  through  several 
streets  to  the  eastern  section  of  the  city,  to  the  cathe- 
dral, going  up  under  the  direction  of  the  French  Catholics, 
Since  1860  over  five  hundred  priests  of  the  Romish 
Church  have  arrived  in  China.  The  Catholics  of  France, 
seemingly,  have  taken  the  empire  in  hand  and  it  is  hinted 
that  Louis  Napoleon  means  to  make  French  influence 
superior  to  that  of  England  here.  Be  that  as  it  may,  it 
is  plain  that  somebody  is  taking  a long  look  ahead. 

Soon  after  the  treaty  of  1859  was  signed  ground  was 
obtained  for  the  erection  of  a cathedral,  and  the  founda- 
tions laid  for  an  edifice  which  is  nearly  two  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  in  length,  with  a corresponding  width,  in  the 
form  of  the  Latin  cross.  The  material  is  granite,  in  color 
and  grain  very  much  like  that  of  Cape  Ann,  quarried  on 


ON  THE  CANTON  EIVEK. 


309 


the  island  of  Hong  Kong,  and  brought  ninety-two  miles 
by  water.  It  is  estimated  that  the  structure  will  cost 
from  three  to  four  million  dollars. 

We  hear  the  clicking  of  hammers  and  chisels  before 
we  emerge  from  the  labyrinth  of  streets,  and  upon  get- 
ting out  of  our  sedan  find  ourselves  in  a great  yard  with 
a bamboo  shed  over  us,  in  which  stone-cutters  are  at 
work.  The  cathedral  walls  are  about  half-way  up,  but 
it  probably  will  be  five  or  six  years  before  the  roof  is  on 
and  the  building  completed. 

Those  who  have  seen  the  elaborate  workmanship  of 
the  capitals  of  the  Treasury  building  at  Washington 
may  form  some  conception  of  the  ornate  sculpture  of 
this  cathedral,  when  they  consider  that  it  far  surpasses 
anything  in  the  United  States  in  the  way  of  architectural 
embellishment. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

ON  THE  CANTON  EIVEE. 

TAKING  a sampan,  with  a woman  and  a girl  for  cap- 
tain and  crew,  we  float  up  the  river  with  the  tide, 
to  view  the  scenes  along  its  banks.  We  have  ducks  and 
chickens  for  fellow-passengers.  A rooster  perched  on  the 
roof  over  our  heads  claps  his  wings  and  gives  a lusty 
crow  as  we  push  into  the  stream.  The  girl  speaks  a few 
words  of  “ pigeon  English,”  which  is  an  almost  unintelli- 
gible mixture  of  English,  French,  Spanish,  Portuguese, 
4 and  Chinese.  It  is  used  in  commercial  transactions. 
“ Pigeon  ” is  the  best  pronunciation  which  the  Chinese 
can  give  of  the  word  “ business,”  hence  the  name. 


310 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


If  we  were  old  acquaintances,  this  young  lady  pulling 
at  the  oar  would  say : — 

Have  savvee  facy  to  muchce  long  time. 

We  have  known  you  a long  time. 

But  the  characteristics  of  the  jargon  will  be  best  shown 
by  the  following  letter  of  a prominent  merchant,  Howqua, 
written  to  Mr.  Bichardson  of  Boston,  now  deceased  : — 

My  good  Friend : How  fashion  insi  hab  got  this  morn- 
ing? Hab  catchee  little  more  better  ? What  thing  Dr. 
Darker  talkee  ’ long  you  ? He  hab  show  you  true  what 
thing  insi  ? 

My  good  Friend : How  are  you  (what  is  the  state  of 
your  insides)  this  morning  ? Have  you  got  a little  bet- 
ter ? What  does  Dr.  Parker  say  to  you  ? He  has  (no 
doubt)  shown  you  correctly  (what  is  -wrong  inside). 

My  thinkee  spose  any  man  shoio  you  catchee  that  gin 
go  ’long  that  watir  spose  you  wantce  catclice.  Ho.  1 fine, 
that  he  talkee  small  cliils  play  pigeon.  No  got  reason,  all 
same  one  fools. 

My  opinion  is,  that  if  any  man  recommends  you  to 
take  gin  and  water,  to  get  perfectly  well  (No.  1 fine), 
that  he  talks  childish.  He  is  as  unreasonable  as  a fool. 

Spose  my  all  the  same  for  you  sick,  my  must  wantee  too 
muchce  chin  chin,  that  large  Joss  my  thinkee  he  can  savvee 
that  pigeon  more  bettir  for  Dr.  Parker  little. 

Suppose  I was  as  sick  as  you  are  ; I would  want  very 
much  to  burn  incense  (chin  chin)  to  that  great  Joss  (the 
idol).  I think  he  (Joss)  knows  that  business  (what  is 
the  matter  with  you)  a little  better  than  Dr.  Parker. 

No  'casion  you  talkee  insi.  So  eh.  Cause  any  man  can 
savvee,  hah  got  reason  tedkee. 

There  is  no  occasion  for  you  to  doubt  this  (talk  inside), 
because  any  one  will  see  I talk  reasonably. 

Have  hear  any  news  come  from  that  Mclica  si  ? Too 
muchce  piecee  man  shew  my  hab  got  two  piecee  ships  talkee 


ON  THE  CANTON  RIVER. 


311 


Don  Juan  go  ’ long  that  Paulina  hah  begin  long  teem  before 
walkee  this  side.  Just  now  he  no  hub  got  Macao  si. 

Have  you  heard  any  news  from  America  (shores)  ? 
Several  men  have  told  me  that  there  are  two  ships, 
named  Don  Juan  and  (go  ’long)  Paulina,  started  to  come 
here  long  since.  They  have  not  reached  Macao. 

Don  Juan  have  begin  that  No.  15  day,  that  No.  1 moon, 
Europe  counter,  and  Paulina  have  all  the  same  fashion  No. 
19  day,  any  man  thinkee  he  must  come  Macao  directly. . 
Can  see,  can  savvee.  That  no  my  pigeon,  that  hab  Joss 
pigeon. 

The  Don  Juan  started  the  15tli  of  January,  European 
reckoning,  and  the  Paulina  the  19tli,  same  reckoning.  It 
is  to  be  supposed  they  will  arrive  soon.  As  soon  as  we 
see,  we  shall  know.  It  is  J oss’s  business,  not  mine. 

Just  now  must  finishee,  no  got  teem  talkee  any  more  long 
you.  My  chin  chin,  you  catchee  more  better  chop  chop.  So 
fashion  talkee.  Your  good  f riend. 

I must  now  close,  as  I have  no  time  to  write  any  more 
to  you.  I hope  you  will  get  better  very  soon.  So  write 
your  good  friend. 

It  will  be  seen  that  “ catchee  ” means  to  get  or  bring  ; 

“ go  ’long,”  with,  or,  and ; “ chin  chin,”  good  wishes  or 
prayer ; “ Joss,”  the  idol  or  heathen  god ; “ chop  chop,” 
very  quick. 

The  river  abounds  with  fish,  and  thousands  of  poor 
wretches,  who  have  no  other  home  than  their  boats,  draw 
a large  portion  of  their  sustenance  from  the  water.  Fish 
are  reared  for  the  market  in  ponds,  but  those  which 
ascend  the  river  from  the  sea  are  taken  in  vast  number 
by  hook  and  'line,  by  nets,  and  by  trained  cormorants. 
These  birds  have  a great  appetite  for  fish,  a keen  eye 
to  see,  and  are  expert  in  catching  them.  The  fisherman 
makes  them  not  only  work  for  their  own  living,  but  for 
his.  A ring  is  slipped  upon  the  neck  of  the  bird,  to 


312 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


prevent  it  from  swallowing  the  fish.  It  dives,  appears 
with  its  prey,  is  taken  on  hoard  the  boat,  fed  a few  mor- 
sels, just  enough  to  sharpen  its  appetite,  tossed  over 
again,  to  reappear  perhaps  without  a fish,  when  it  is 
chastised  and  tossed  rudely  into  the  water  without  being 
fed.  The  bird  is  kept  always  at  the  starvation  point. 

We  pass  a number  of  gayly  decorated  “ flower-boats,” 
which  are  not  floating  green-houses,  as  their  names  might 
indicate,  but  establishments  where  dinners  are  served. 


7 


FLOWER-BOAT. 


In  America  every  house  has  its  dining-room  and  parlor 
suitable  for  the  entertainment  of  friends,  but  the  majority 
of  the  Chinese  are  content  if  they  can  obtain  four  walls 
with  space  enough  to  sleep  and  cook  their  rice.  They 
like  to  entertain  their  friends,  and  these  gayly  decorated 
flat-bottomed  boats,  with  elegantly  furnished  cabins,  — 
silken  curtains,  gorgeous  lanterns,  gay  flowers  in  earthen 
pots  and  wooden  tubs,  fluttering  flags  and  pennons,  bright 
gilding  and  fine  paintings,  — are  for  pul  flic  hire. 

We  have  an  opportunity  to  see  a company  at  dinner  as 


ON  THE  CANTON  RIVER. 


313 


we  float  lazily  past.  The  giver  of  the  feast  and  the  in- 
vited guests,  about  a dozen  in  all,  are  seated  around  a 
table.  Their  sleek  and  glossy  pigtails,  which  are  elabo- 
rately braided  for  the  occasion,  hang  down  their  backs 
and  dangle  on  the  floor.  They  wear  their  hats,  for  it 
would  be  a breach  of  politeness  for  guests  to  remove 
them  while  at  table  or  in  the  presence  of  their  host. 

In  one  corner,  partly  screened  by  a large  orange-tree 
blooming  in  a tub,  are  three  girls,  their  cheeks  and  lips  red 
with  carmine,  their  hair  stiffly  starched  and  ornamented 
with  flowers.  One  has  a guitar,  another  an  instrument 
resembling  a banjo,  and  the  third  a small  pair  of  cym- 
bals. They  are  hired  for  the  occasion,  just  as  in  the 
United  States  the  Germanians  and  Mendelssohns,  or  the 
best  musicians  and  vocalists,  are  employed  to  increase 
the  pleasure  of  the  guests  at  grand  dinner-parties. 

There  is  a good  deal  of  sense  in  their  method  of  enter- 
taining friends.  Mrs.  Loo  Choo  will  not  have  to  rear- 
range her  parlor  in  the  morning.  There  will  be  no 
stale  tobacco-smoke  about  the  house,  no  dishes  to  wash, 
no  setting  things  to  rights.  It  is  an  economical  way. 
The  proprietor  of  the  boat  furnishes  the  dinner  and  en- 
gages the  minstrels ; the  host  has  nothing  to  do  but  pay 
the  bills. 

Ducks  are  reared  on  the  river  in  boats  set  apart  for 
the  purpose.  They  are  hatched  in  ovens,  and  soon  learn 
to  obey  the  quack  of  their  master  or  mistress.  They  are 
permitted  to  take  a swim  several  times  a day,  but  a call 
from  the  keeper  brings  them  quickly  on  board.  The  last 
one  receives  a good  drubbing,  which  so  quickens  its 
memory  that  it  is  seldom  tardy  a second  time.  They 
are  kept  till  full  grown,  and  then  taken  to  market. 

One  of  the  conspicuous  houses  at  our  right  hand,  as 
we  sail  up  the  river,  is  a native  charitable  institution  of 
some  sort. 


14 


314 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


It  has  been  asserted  that  benevolent  societies  are  the 
outgrowth  of  modern  civilization,  but  they  have  existed 
in  this  empire  from  time  immemorial.  There  are  orphan 
asylums,  homes  for  the  aged  and  infirm,  widows’  retreats, 
public  hospitals  and  free  schools,  mutual-aid  societies, 
guilds  of  the  different  trades,  and  protective  unions. 
Some  of  them  in  years  gone  by  received  grants  from 
the  Imperial  treasury.  Widows  are  not  encouraged  to 
re-marry.  It  is  more  honorable  to  remain  single.  For 
this  reason  provision  is  made  for  their  support. 


DUCK-BOAT. 


The  free  schools  are  sustained  by  the  benefactions  of 
the  rich,  but  only  the  poorest  classes  attend  them.  The 
Chinese  dislike  to  accept  charity  in  any  form,  and  no  one 
attends  a free  school  who  can  raise  the  money  to  pay  for 
an  education. 

Missionaries  cannot  obtain  scholars  unless  a small  tui- 
tion is  charged.  Pupils  are  secured  by  giving  them  a 
superior  education.  In  Canton  provincial  societies  exist, 
made  up  of  those  who  have  come  from  other  provinces, 


ON  THE  CANTON  RIVER. 


315 


just  as  New  York  has  its  “ New  England  Society,” 
Boston  its  “ Sons  of  New  Hampshire,”  only  that  these 
are  mutual-aid  organizations,  resembling  the  Masonic  Fra- 
ternity and  Odd  Fellows.  Nearly  all  of  the  Chinese 
emigrating  to  California  and  Australia  belong  to  the 
Southern  Provinces,  and  are  shipped  from  this  port,  and 
while  here  waiting  passage  find  accommodations  at  the 
head-quarters  of  the  societies. 

A sick  or  unfortunate  member  is  cared  for.  If  death 
overtakes  him,  his  body  is  sent  home  for  burial.  If  poor 
and  out  of  money,  he  is  assisted. 

The  head-quarters  are  in  a hall,  where  the  sojourn- 
ers spread  their  mats  and  prepare  their  rice,  so  that  they 
are  independent  of  boarding-houses  and  can  live  at  an 
economical  rate. 

Missionaries  inform  us  that  there  are  no  people  in  the 
world  more  benevolent  than  the  Chinese.  Yet  it  is  as- 
serted that  their  charity,  instead  of  being  influenced  by 
high  moral  principle,  is  animated,  solely  by  selfish  motives. 

“ The  characteristic  feature,”  says  Air.  Loomis,  “ of  the 
false  religion  of  China  is  the  performance  of  meritorious 
actions  with  a view  to  the  attainment  of  selfish  ends.  In 
doing  an  act  which  conscience  pronounces  good  and  right, 
a Chinaman  imagines  that  he  is  entitled  to  some  personal 
advantage  or  reward  corresponding  to  the  character  of  the 
act  performed.” 

The  society  of  Sam  Yap,  which  embraces  the  Canton 
district,  has  sent  about  fifteen  thousand  emigrants  to  Cal- 
ifornia. The  initiation  fee  is  3 10  * The  Kong  Chau  Com- 
pany, which  embraces  the  district  southwest  of  Canton, 
has  sent  out  sixteen  thousand.  The  initiation  fee  is  S 5. 
This  society  has  property  in  San  Francisco  valued  at 
$ 40,000.  The  Yueng  Wo  Company,  embracing  the  Macao 
district,  has  sent  out  twenty-six  thousand  emigrants. 

* Overland  Monthly,  September,  186S. 


316 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


There  are  six  companies  in  San  Francisco,  and  by  far 
the  largest  proportion  of  emigrants  to  our  country  go 
under  their  auspices.  The  same  may  be  said  of  those 
who  go  to  Australia,  Singapore,  and  the  islands  of  the 
archipelago. 

The  washermen,  tailors,  and  shoemakers  have  their 
trades-unions,  distinct  from  these  organizations.  The 
machinery  of  society  in  this  respect  is  very  much  like 
that  of  England  and  the  United  States.  It  is  the  univer- 
sal story,  — protective  union,  mutual  aid,  and  co-opera- 
tion. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

UP  THE  COAST  OF  CHINA. 

IT  is  five  o’clock  in  the  afternoon  when  the  steamer 
Erl- King  works  her  way  out  of  the  harbor  of  Hong 
Kong  eastward,  till  past  a group  of  small  islands,  then 
turns  her  prow  northward,  for  a run  of  about  nine  hun- 
dred miles  to  Shanghae. 

The  night  is  cloudy,  the  following  morning  misty,  and 
it  is  not  till  afternoon  that  we  obtain  a clear  view  of  the 
mainland,  and  find  ourselves  in  sight  of  Swatow,  one  of  the 
five  treaty  ports  of  China.  It  is  one  hundred  and  eighty 
miles  north  of  Hong  Kong,  was  thrown  open  to  trade  by 
the  treaty  of  Tient-sing,  1858,  and  is  the  shipping  port  of 
the  city  of  Ch’ao-chow-foo,  which  lies  a short  distance 
inland.  It  is  the  emporium  of  a large  territory,  compris- 
ing the  northern  sections  of  Kwangton  and  Fukien,  the 
two  southern  coast  districts  of  China.  That  range  of 
mountains  which  we  see  south  of  the  entrance  to  the  har- 
bor of  Swatow,  which  lifts  its  rugged  outline  far  away 


UP  THE  COAST  OF  CHINA. 


317 


toward  the  west  till  lost  in  the  distance,  after  running 
about  a hundred  miles  inland,  trends  north,  then  north- 
east, and  comes  out  to  the  coast  again,  as  we  shall  see 
by  and  by. 

This  amphitheatre  is  drained  by  the  river  Han  and  its 
tributaries,  which  pour  down  from  the  mountains  of  the 
two  districts  through  a wide  plain  almost  wholly  devoted 
to  the  cultivation  of  sugar-cane.  The  Chinese  are  great 
lovers  of  sweetmeats,  and  consume  a large  quantity  of 
sugar,  which  is  most  profitably  raised  in  the  southern 
provinces.  The  cargo  of  our  steamer  consists  principally 
of  this  article.  It  is  shipped  to  Shanghae,  to  be  taken 
up  the  Yangtse,  and  out  through  the  numerous  canals  to 
the  interior  of  the  empire. 

We  are  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  — not  the  southern 
extremity  of  Africa,  but  a headland,  five  hundred  feet 
high,  jutting  into  the  sea,  along  which  the  Han  pours  its 
cream-colored  tide.  Upon  a hill  of  less  elevation,  a pa- 
goda rears  its  white  walls,  forming  a prominent  landmark 
for  seamen.  Many  of  the  islands  of  the  bay  are  terraced 
from  the  sea-beach  to  the  summit.  We  pass  fleets  of 
fishing-boats. 

“ I can  always  tell,”  says  the  captain,  “ my  whereabouts 
by  the  style  of  the  boats.  Here  the  hulls  are  white ; 
those  in  the  vicinity  of  Hong  Hong  have  pointed  bows, 
and  are  painted  green.  At  Shanghae  we  shall  find  square 
bows  and  red  gunwales.” 

This  district,  in  which  Swatow  is  situated,  from  its 
excess  of  population  is  poverty  stricken.  Great  numbers 
of  people  emigrate.  Many  of  the  coolies  now  throwing 
up  the  embankments  of  the  Pacific  Eailroad  in  California 
are  from  this  section  of  the  country.  From  a missionary 
we  learn  that  this  province  is  considered  one  of  the 
“ hardest  ” in  China,  — hard  for  the  government  to  man- 
age, hard  to  live  in,  hard  for  missionary  effort.  Clan 


318 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


fights  are  of  frequent  occurrence,  and  armed  mobs  resist 
the  mandarins  when  occasion  calls. 

Laws  cannot  he  executed  here,  as  in  other  provinces, 
without  producing  riots ; especially  is  the  collection  of 
taxes  resisted.  In  China  confederates  in  crime  are 
frequently  punished  for  small  offences  by  having  their 
pigtails  tied  together.  There  is  no  greater  disgrace.  The 

cue  is  the  emblem 
of  honor ; and  to 
be  tied  by  it  to 
another  criminal, 
and  suffer  expos- 
ure in  the  street, 
subjected  to  the 
taunts  and  jeers  of 
the  populace,  is  ex- 
ceedingly humili- 
ating. 

Although  so  near 
Canton,  the  local 
dialect  is  unintelli- 
gible to  the  Canton- 
ese. Many  imagine 
that  the  four  hun- 
dred millions  of  the 
empire  have  one 
language ; but  the  dialects  are  so  numerous  and  diverse, 
that  the  people  of  the  different  provinces  can  almost  as 
readily  understand  a foreigner  as  one  of  their  own  coun- 
trymen of  another  district. 

Swatow  is  much  exposed  to  the  typhoons  which  sweep 
this  section  of  the  coast.  It  is  opposite  the  southern 
point  of  the  island  of  Formosa,  the  situation  of  which  is 
supposed  to  have  something  to  do  with  the  severity  of 
those  terrible  gales  of  wind,  and  scarcely  a year  passes 


FAST  FRIENDS. 


UP  THE  COAST  OF  CHINA. 


319 


without  the  occurrence  of  one  or  more  destructive  storms, 
which  strew  the  land  with  wrecks. 

Amoy,  which  lies  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  north  of 
Swatow,  has  one  of  the  most  accessible  harbors  on  the 
coast.  A thousand  years  ago  it  was  the  chief  port  of  the 
empire  for  foreign  trade.  Western  historians  inform  us 
that  junks  from  Amoy  were  frequently  seen  in  the  Per- 
sian Gulf.  In  the  time  of  Marco  Polo  it  was  a great 
shipping  port.  The  Portuguese  were  here  in  1544,  but 
a quarrel  having  sprung  up,  they  were  expelled,  — the 
people  of  the  town  burning  thirteen  ships  and  massa- 
cring four  hundred  foreigners.  During  the  opium  war  in 
1841  it  was  captured  by  the  English  fleet,  and  when  the 
treaty  of  Nankin  was  signed  it  was  thrown  open  to  for- 
eign trade. 

The  town  is  situated  on  the  southwestern  shore  of  the 
island  of  Amoy,  which  is  from  eight  to  ten  miles  long,  and 
about  forty  in  circumference,  and  contains  a population 
estimated  at  half  a million.  If  there  were  forests  on  the 
mountains  or  groves  on  the  hills,  the  scenery  would  be 
very  beautiful ; but  the  absence  of  trees  detracts  much 
from  the  beauty,  not  only  of  this,  but  of  other  Chinese 
landscapes. 

This  city,  which  has  a population  of  about  three  hun- 
dred thousand,  was  for  a long  time  in  the  hands  of  the 
rebels,  and  has  not  yet  recovered  from  the  ravages  com- 
mitted by  them.  The  country  around  Amoy  has  a thin, 
hard  soil,  but,  like  that  of  Xew  England,  produces  enter- 
prising men.  Many  of  the  princely  merchants  of  China 
— and  there  are  sbme  who  rank  with  the  Eothschilds  in 
wealth — are  natives  of  this  district. 

The  most  important  port  between  Hong  Kong  and 
Shangliae  is  Foochow,  which  is  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  miles  north  of  Amoy.  It  is  located  on  the  river 
Min,  thirty-five  miles  inland.  The  entrance  to  the 


320 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


liarbor  is  marked  by  bold  headlands.  It  is  the  chief 
shipping  port  for  black  teas.  Over  sixty-five  million 
pounds  were  exported  from  this  city  in  1866.  The  esti- 
mate for  the  present  year  is  from  seventy  to  eighty 
millions,  — a “ tea  fever  ” having  set  in.  More  than 
half  is  sent  to  England.  The  tea-plants  best  suited  to 
this  district  are  the  Oolong,  Congou,  and  Flowery  Pekoe. 
The  Orange  Pekoe  is  also  produced,  but  the  difference 
between  the  two  lies,  we  believe,  in  the  manufacture 
rather  than  in  the  plant.  We  wish  very  much  to  see 
this  tea  metropolis ; but  the  steamer  being  bound  for 
Shanghae,  we  are  not  able  to  gratify  our  desire.  About 
one  hundred  foreigners  reside  there,  including  several 
missionaries  from  the  United  States  and  England. 

The  many  ways  in  which  Foochow  is  spelled  on  maps 
and  in  books  is  a good  illustration  of  the  unsettled  con- 
dition of  Chinese  orthography.  On  Philip’s  map,  sup- 
posed to  be  standard  authority,  it  is  put  dowp  as  Foo- 
choo-Foo.  Rev.  Mr.  Doolittle,  a missionary  residing 
there,  spells  it  Fuh-Chau ; the  British  Consular  Service, 
Foo-chou;  the  Chinese  authorities,  Fuclian;  while  the 
Foochowians  themselves  pronounce  it  Hak  Chien.  The 
population  of  the  city  is  about  six  hundred  thousand. 

The  province  of  Fu-kien,  of  which  this  is  the  metrop- 
olis, is  a little  less  in  area  than  the  six  New  England 
States,  but  it  has  a dense  population.  The  climate  is 
mild.  Frost  and  ice  are  rarely  seen.  The  mercury 
seldom  falls  below  38°.  During  the  winter  of  1864 
about  two  inches  of  snow  fell,  — an  occurrence  unknown 
for  forty  years.  In  July  and  August  the  heat  is  exces- 
sive in  the  valleys,  but  the  temperature  on  the  moun- 
tains is  delightful. 

The  bamboo  flourishes  along  the  streams  of  this  prov- 
ince, and  the  timber  trade  is  very  extensive.  The  junks 
of  Foochow  are  especially  constructed  for  its  transpor- 


UP  THE  COAST  OF  CHINA. 


321 


tation.  Being  hollow,  the%  bamboo  is  very  light,  and 
there  is  no  danger  of  overloading,  although  the  long, 
slender  poles  project  far  over  the  sides,  and  are  piled 
high  upon  the  decks.  One  of  them,  seen  in  the  distance, 
looks  like  a gundalow  freighted  with  hay  from  the  salt- 
marshes  of  the  Merrimack,  or  an  old-time  New  England 
meeting-house,  with  a sail  tacked  to  the  steeple.  The 
monsoon  is  setting  in,  the  wind  blowing  up  the  coast,  and 
the  “ meeting-house  ” will  make  good  time  to  Shangliae. 
The  timber  disposed  of  there,  a return  cargo  will  be  ob- 
tained of  rice,  bean-cake,  and  other  productions  of  the 
lowlands  and  plains  of  the  Yangtse  valley. 

Long  before  reaching  the  entrance  to  the  great  river 
of  China,  we  find  the  water  discolored  by  the  sediment 
brought  down  from  the  mountains  of  Thibet  and  the 
plains  of  the  Central  Provinces.  The  estuary  is  sixty 
miles  wide,  but  is  gradually  becoming  narrower.  Sand- 
reefs  and  mud-banks  are  forming;  islands  appear  from 
time  to  time,  showing  that  the  delta  is  gaining  upon  the 
sea. 

The  land  is  so  low  that  sometimes,  when  there  is  a 
conflict  of  waters  between  the  floods  pouring  out  and 
the  waves  and  tides  rolling  in,  the  surrounding  country 
is  inundated,  and  the  people  are  compelled  to  take  refuge 
in  their  boats  or  in  trees. 

Steaming  up  the  bay,  we  see  numerous  foreign  ships, 
some  just  entering  the  river  after  a long  passage  around 
Cape  Horn  or  across  the  Indian  Ocean,  others  spreading 
their  white  wings  for  a homeward  voyage.  An  English 
steamer  is  shaping  its  course  for  Japan,  an  American  for 
a voyage  up  the  coast  to  Cheefoo  and  Tientsin,  carrying 
the  mails  to  Pekin.  Everything  about  us  indicates  that 
we  are  approaching  a great  commercial  city. 


14* 


u 


322 


OUB  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  XLI. 

APPROACH  TO  SHANGHAE. 

E liave  left  the  great. river  and  steamed  into  the 


Wusung,  which  is  only  a tidal  estuary  connected 
with  the  great  network  of  canals  south  of  us.  It  is  fast 
filling  up,  especially  since  commerce  has  built  up  a great 
town  on  its  hanks,  and  it  is  feared  that  before  many  years 
this  river  will  he  narrowed  to  a muddy  ditch.  Should 
that  ever  happen,  the  town  of  Wusung,  and  the  French 
naval  depot  established  there,  will  quite  likely  become 
the  site  of  the  new  city. 

From  the  deck  of  the  steamer  we  have  a fine  view 
of  the  place.  It  is  situated  on  a green  bank  near  the 
confluence  of  the  Wusung  with  the  Yangtse.  The  Chi- 
nese had  a mud  fort  here  in  1841,  which  was  knocked  to 
pieces  by  the  English. 

Before  us  are  low,  mean  houses,  narrow  streets,  and 
crowds  of  men,  women,  and  children  on  the  shore ; other 
crowds  swarm  on  the  numerous  junks,  boats,  and  sampans 
in  the  stream. 

The  low-lying  meadows  are  bordered  with  reeds  and 
rushes.  Beyond  are  cotton-fields,  the  plants  now  about 
six  inches  high ; acres  of  sugar-cane  and  sorghum,  rice- 
fields,  bamboo  huts  with  walls  of  matting,  apple  and 
peach  trees,  gardens  filled  with  cabbages  and  cauliflowers, 
potato-patches,  — a landscape  somewhat  like  that  of  the 
Mississippi,  only  there  are  no  grand  old  forest-trees,  or 
gigantic  cotton-woods,  or  background  of  limestone  bluffs, 
or  stately  mansions,  but  everywhere,  as  far  as  the  eye 
can  reach,  a dead  level  of  meadow,  of  cultivated  fields, 
and  vegetation  of  unsurpassed  richness. 


APPROACH  TO  SHANGHAE. 


323 


Turning  a bend  of  the  river,  the  masts  of  the  ship- 
ping are  seen,  — a hundred  ships  and  barks,  thousands  of 
junks,  and  sailing-boats  by  the  ten  thousand.  There  are 
steamers  by  the  score,  bound  for  Japan,  Hong  Kong,  and 
other  places  on  the  coast,  north  and  south.  Conspicuous 
along  the  docks  are  the  river  steamers  of  Messrs.  Russell 
& Co.,  modelled  after  those  of  Long  Island  Sound,  of  light 
draught,  capacious,  strong,  and  swift.  Some  of  them  were 
built  in  New  York,  and  made  the  voyage  out  by  Cape 
Horn.  The  Englishmen  “laughed  to  see  such  a craft.” 
Their  steamers  were  screws,  deep,  heavy,  with  small  stow- 
age, able  to  make  only  eight  miles  an  hour  against  the 
current  of  the  Yangtse.  They  changed  countenance  when 
they  saw  these  Yankee  nondescripts  go  against  the  cur- 
rent twelve  miles  and  with  it  twenty  miles  an  hour! 
Since  then  the  river  has  been  known  as  the  Yankeetse, 
and  the  Yankees  have  had  it  all  their  own  way. 

Shanghae ! The  name  is  associated  in  our  mind,  as 
doubtless  it  is  in  the  minds  of  many,  with  the  Hen  Fever. 
Who  ever  heard  of  Shanghae  till  the  coarse,  tall,  gawky 
Shanghae  fowls  made  their  appearance  ? Who  does  not 
remember  those  days,  when  all  our  conversation  was 
about  Shanghaes  ? People  talked  Shanghae  in  the  cars, 
going  to  and  from  their  counting-rooms.  We  heard  it  at 
the  corners  of  the  streets,  in  the  market,  and  especially 
at  the  dinner-table.  “We  have  a Shanghae,  my  dear, 
to-day,”  was  a common  remark  of  the  wife  to  the  hus- 
band when  Bridget  brought  on  the  fowl.  The  Shanghae 
department  was  the  most  attractive  feature  of  county 
cattle-shows.  The  fever  made  its  first  appearance  in 
Massachusetts,  and  spread  throughout  New  England ; 
New  Hampshire  caught  it,  then  Vermont ; Rhode  Island 
had  a touch  of  it ; the  Hudson  was  no  barrier,  for  it 
moved  westward  like  the  cholera  in  its  march.  One 
summer  we  sojourned  a few  weeks  at  Saratoga,  and  of 


324 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


all  the  impressions  made  at  that  famous  watering-place, 
the  strongest  is  the  cock-a-doodle-doo  of  a Shanghae, 
that  woke  up  the  eastern  section  of  the  town  at  three, 
A.  M.,  with  a blast  longer  and  louder  than  any  blown 
from  conch-shell  or  fish-horn  by  a farmer’s  wife  calling 
her  husband  to  dinner  from  the  harvest-field. 

This  is  the  garden  of  China.  It  has  an  area  of  nearly 
fifty  thousand  square  miles,  — larger  than  the  State  of 
New  York.  But  there  are  no  hills  or  mountains  in 
sight.  Comparing  it  to  New  York,  we  must  imagine  the 
Adirondacks  and  Alleghanies,  and  every  other  elevation, 
levelled  to  a vast  meadow,  crossed  by  innumerable  artifi- 
cial canals,  connecting  with  natural  creeks  and  wide  rivers. 
The  soil  is  exceedingly  fertile,  and  kept  in  the  highest  tilth. 
Three  crops  a year  are  harvested.  Five  hundred  years 
ago  Marco  Polo  visited  this  garden,  and  made  the  West- 
ern world  incredulous  by  his  account  of  its  wonderful 
fertility.  We  see  bridges  across  the  streams  that  were 
erected,  it  is  supposed,  two  thousand  years  ago.  The  cot- 
ton-plant has  been  cultivated  here  for  centuries.  Before 
Solomon  built  his  throne  of  ivory,  before  Greece  had  a 
history,  the  Chinese  were  feeding  silk-worms  on  this 
delta,  sailing  their  sampans  through  these  canals,  trund- 
ling their  one-wheeled  carriages  through  the  streets  of 
the  cities.  This  great  alluvial  lowland  has  been  swarm- 
ing with  human  life,  generation  after  generation,  with 
little  advancement  in  science  and  art. 

In  1841  Admiral  Parker,  of  the  British  navy,  sailed  up 
the  Wusung,  bombarded  the  towns,  took  Shanghae,  and 
exacted  a ransom  of  nearly  one  and  a half  million  dollars. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  this  city  was  thrown  open  to 
foreign  trade,  which  up  to  that  time  had  been  carried  on 
at  Canton. 

The  foreigners  located  themselves  a little  below  the 
town.  In  sailing  up  the  Wusung,  we  come  first  to  the 


APPROACH  TO  SHANGHAE. 


325 


American  settlement,  where  the  Stars  and  Stripes  are 
waving  from  a tall  staff  in  front  of  the  consulate.  A 
creek  spanned  hy  a bridge  separates  the  American  from 
the  British  settlement,  and  another  the  British  from  the 
French,  which  is  nearest  the  old  city.  The  Chinese  are 
sharp-sighted.  They  have  found  it  profitable  to  locate 
themselves  near  foreigners,  and  so  the  old  city  has  over- 
flowed its  walls,  and  a large  native  population  is  found  in 
each  settlement,  where  the  streets  are  wide,  macadamized, 
and  kept  free  from  filth;  but  the  old  city  is  foul  and 
unsavory. 

The  growth  of  the  place  was  rapid  for  a few  years.  In 
1856  there  were  not  less  than  seventy  foreign  firms.  The 
export  of  tea  in  that  year  was  seventy-seven  million 
pounds,  and  of  silk  fifty-six  thousand  bales.  In  1857 
the  rebels  approached  the  city.  One  after  another  of 
the  interior  towns  had  fallen  into  their  hands,  and  refu- 
gees by  the  hundred  thousand  flocked  to  Shanghae  for 
protection  under  the  guns  of  English,  French,  and  Ameri- 
can war-ships.  The  great  influx  of  people  gave  a mush- 
room growth  to  the  place,  which  in  1861  was  supposed 
to  contain  over  one  million  inhabitants.  Speculation  in 
land  set  in ; fortunes  were  made  in  a day ; and  there 
were  predictions  that  Shanghae  would  soon  have  a popu- 
lation exceeding  that  of  London ; but  the  final  defeat  of 
the  rebels  and  suppression  of  the  rebellion  sent  half  a 
million  of  refugees  back  to  their  old  homes.  Beal  estate 
became  unsalable ; lots  which  had  been  held  at  fabulous 
prices  could  not  be  disposed  of.  Houses  in  process  of 
erection  were  left  unfinished.  Then  came  financial  dis- 
aster in  England.  Old  firms  having  the  confidence  of  the 
community  went  down.  The  crash  was  felt  to  the  very 
heart  of  China.  The  failure  of  Englishmen  carried  down 
Chinamen  here,  who  in  turn  carried  down  others  of  their 
countrymen  in  the  interior  provinces.  In  the  United 


326 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


States  during  the  American  war  less  tea  was  consumed 
than  formerly,  as  was  the  case  in  England.  With  a cot- 
ton famine  in  Lancashire,  with  mill-wheels  still,  machin- 
ery silent,  warehouses  filled  with  unsold  goods  in  London 
and  Manchester,  people  could  not  drink  tea  nor  wear  silk 
dresses.  Trade  diminished  in  London  and  on  the  Yangtse, 
and  Shanghae  became  one  of  the  dullest  of  towns.  It  is 
now  recovering  from  its  decline.  In  1868  trade  came  up 
to  former  figures,  and  the  tea  market  the  present  year  has 
opened  at  higher  prices  than  those  of  last  season.  The 
reports  from  the  silk  districts  are  favorable.  Real  estate 
is  salable  at  advancing  prices,  and  those  who  are  best 
informed  in  regard  to  the  resources  of  China,  and  who 
believe  there  is  to  be  an  increase  of  trade  with  foreign 
nations,  predict  that  this  place  will  have  a steady  growth, 
and  that  ultimately  it  will  become  one  of  the  great  com- 
mercial marts  of  the  world. 

We  drop  anchor  in  the  stream,  and  before  the  chain  has 
time  to  run  out  the  steamer  is  surrounded  by  sampans. 
They  are  all  alike,  — two  great  eyes,  a caboose  amidships 
to  shield  passengers  from  sun  and  rain,  painted  white, 
with  red  stripes  reaching  from  stem  to  stern.  The  boat- 
men speak  broken  English.  “ Melican  man  go  with  me.” 
The  letter  r is  an  insurmountable  obstacle  to  him.  “ Me 
boat  pidgeon.”  “ Me  pidgeon  row  Melican  man.”  (It 
is  my  business  to  row  an  American.)  Such  the  gib- 
berish. They  swing  their  broad-brimmed  hats,  flourish 
their  tails,  get  into  a fracas  among  themselves  in  their 
eagerness  to  make  an  engagement  to  take  us  ashore.  It 
is  better  than  witnessing  a comedy  at  the  theatre  to 
lean  over  the  rail  of  the  steamer  and  study  such  a life 
scene.  We  are  in  no  hurry  to  take  a sampan.  We  are 
here  to  see  China  and  the  Chinese,  and  these  are  amusing 
spectacles. 

In  the  course  of  half  an  hour  the  ship  is  warped  up  to 
the  pier,  and  the  boatmen  leave  us  in  disgust. 


APPROACH  TO  SHANGHAE. 


327 


hasten  to  the  rescue.  We  let  them  fight  awhile,  and  then 
charge  bayonet  with  an  umbrella.  A few  raps  over  the 
head,  a vigorous  push  given  to  another,  a kick  at  a third, 
and  a commanding  tone  of  voice,  are  sufficient  to  con- 
quer a peace.  Giving  the  traps  into  the  hands  of  two, 
we  leave  the  pier  without  further  annoyance. 

These  battles  are  a part  of  a traveller’s  experience.  Let 
the  fellows  fight  awhile,  and  then  he  can  assert  his  au- 
thority and  give  directions.  It  is  so  in  all  Eastern  coun- 
tries, — at  Constantinople,  Alexandria,  and  Canton  as 
well  as  here. 

A few  minutes’  walk  brings  us  to  the  Astor  House, 


But  a real  comedy  is  before  us,  in  which  we  take  part. 
Now  comes  the  contest  for  the  luggage.  Six  men  have 
possession  of  the  trunk,  four  of  the  carpet-bag,  and  two 
are  pulling  at  the  roll  of  shawls.  They  surge  to  and 
fro ; toes  are  crushed,  pigtails  pulled,  and  ribs  punched. 
Blows  and  kicks  are  freely  given.  There  is  an  indescrib- 
able jargon.  Two  start  off  with  tlie  trunk,  but  others 


BATTLE  OF  SHANGHAE. 


328 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


a building  not  quite  so  imposing  as  its  namesake  of  New 
York,  but  clean  and  comfortable,  with  good  fare,  a cour- 
teous landlord  and  excellent  landlady  from  Old  England, 
who  do  their  best  to  make  our  stay  agreeable. 


ROM  our  window  in  the  hotel  we  have  a beautiful 


view  not  only  of  the  English  and  French  quarters, 
but  of  the  harbor  as  well.  The  numerous  war-ships, 
merchant-vessels,  river  and  ocean  steamers,  tugs,  junks, 
tea-lighters,  canal  craft,  flower-boats,  and  sampans  give 
the  place  a lively  appearahce.  The  hotel  being' situated 
in  the  American  quarter  on  the  quay,  we  have  an  excel- 
lent opportunity  of  observing  this  chief  shipping  port  of 


The  tea-ships  lie  in  the  stream  and  receive  their  cargoes 
from  lighters,  or  from  boats  which  come  down  the  canals. 
The  Soochaw  Creek  enters  the  Wusung  in  front  of  the 
hotel,  forming  the  boundary  between  the  American  and 
English  quarters.  Were  we  to  take  passage  on  the  boat 
sailing  past,  vre  might  go  up  the  creek  seventy  miles  to 
the  city  of  Soochaw,  containing  more  inhabitants  than 
New  York,  and  from  thence  up  the  imperial  canal  to  the 
Yangtse,  and  on  to  Pekin ; or,  turning  south,  we  could 
traverse  an  extensive  territory,  visiting  large  cities  and 
towns,  "with  villages  always  in  sight.  Shanghae  being 
the  shipping  port  for  all  this  region,  and  having  such 
superior  communication  by  water  with  the  interior,  has 
become  the  busiest  city  in  China. 


CHAPTER  XLII. 


IN  THE  CITY  OF  SHANGHAE 


China. 


IN  THE  CITY  OF  SHANGHAE. 


329 


The  transportation  of  the  empire  is  mainly  carried  on 
by  water  ; but  in 
and  pack-horses  are 
in  use,  and  in  the 
northern  section 
two-wheeled  carts. 

In  the  cities  and 
along  the  paths  in 
the  country  one- 
wheeled barrows 
are  used  for  the 
conveyance  of  pas- 
sengers. They  car- 
ry two  persons,  who 
sit  cross-legged  on 
a narrow  board.  No 
bells  are  needed  to 
herald  the  com- 
ing of  these  public 
vehicles.  The  creak- 
ing of  the  wooden 
axles  is  so  loud  and 
sharp,  so  much  like 
the  wail  of  a dumb  animal  in  distress,  that  we  are  thank- 
ful when  one  has  passed  beyond  our  hearing. 

The  delta  of  the  Yangtse,  like  that  of  the  Mississippi, 
is  raised  but  a few  feet  above  the  river.  Marshy  ground, 
fresh  water  five  feet  below  the  surface,  and  insufficient 
drainage  are  conditions  not  conducive  to  health ; and 
Shanghae  is  not  a desirable  place  to  live  in.  Foreigners 
endure  it  because  of  its  advantages  for  trade.  Mission- 
aries make  it  their  home,  that  they  may  benefit  the  mil- 
lions around  them. 

It  is  not  an  attractive  field  for  missionary  effort. 
Christian  virtues  are  not  always  manifested  by  sailors  in 


the  mountainous  districts  donkeys 


CHINESE  COACH. 


330 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


foreign  ports.  Jack  ashore  here  takes  quite  as  much 
liberty  as  when  at  home,  and  his  deportment  does  not 
greatly  commend  Christianity  to  the  Chinese. 

A sailors’  chapel  has  been  opened  in  the  suburbs,  on 
the  southern  bank  of  the  river.  It  is  a neat  stone  edifice, 
and  forms  a pleasing  feature  in  the  view  from  the  hotel. 

It  is  a pleasure  to  know  that  all  sailors  do  not  give 
loose  reins  to  passion  and  appetite  while  in  port.  Ac- 
companying the  chaplain,  Eev.  Mr.  Syle,  on  Sunday,  we 
find  an  attentive  congregation  of  about  fifty  bronzed  tars. 
It  is  affecting  to  see  them  drop  their  dollars  into  the 
plate  as  they  pass  out  after  service,  — money  hard  earned, 
but  given  freely  to  sustain  the  place  of  worship. 

There  are  several  American  missionaries  laboring 
among  the  Chinese,  — Mr.  Yates,  Mr.  Nelson,  and  Mr. 
Thomson ; and  although  there  are  so  many  discourage- 
ments, their  labor  has  not  been  without  its  reward.  Many 
Chinese  have  accepted  the  Christian  religion.  Sunday 
services  in  English  are  held  both  in  the  English  and 
American  sections  of  the  city.  It  is  one  of  the  charac- 
teristics of  the  Anglo-Saxon,  that  wherever  he  goes  he 
carries  his  institutions  with  him.  The  representatives 
of  this  sturdy  race  at  Shanghae  cannot  get  along  with- 
out their  church,  their  daily  newspaper,  race-course,  bil- 
liard-tables, club,  library,  and  reading-room,  Masonic  hall, 
yacht  association,  and  societies  for  the  promotion  of 
knowledge.  All  of  these  are  here,  and  well  sustained. 
A Yankee  is  keeping  a periodical  store  that  would  do 
credit  to  a Western  city,  where  we  can  obtain  all  the 
best  magazines  and  newspapers,  as  well  as  the  issues  of 
the  English  and  American  press.  Foreigners  come  here 
to  make  money,  but  do  not  forego  the  conveniences  and 
comforts  of  home. 

With  a gentleman  to  interpret  for  us  we  stroll  through 
the  city,  looking  into  the  shops  and  tea-houses  of  Hip 


IK  THE  CITY  OF  SHANGHAE. 


331 


Wo,  Hop  Kee,  Tin  Yuk,  and  Chung  Wo.  These  are  not 
the  names  of  the  proprietors,  hut  of  their  establish- 
ments. 

In  the  cities  of  the  United  States  we  have  the  Tremont 
House,  the  National  Hotel,  and  Lone-Star  Saloon.  In 
England  the  Boar’s  Head,  where  Falstaff  drank  liis  “ intol- 
erable deal  of  sack,”  and  the  “ Pig  with  the  Poker.”  In 
Paris  we  may  trade  at  the  “ Good  Angel,”  or  the  “ Poor 
Devil  ” ; but  here  we  are  invited  to  patronize  the  “ Heav- 
enly Jewel,”  the  “ Sincerity  and  Faith,”  the  “ Everlasting 
Harmony.”  An  apothecary  keeps  “ The  Hall  of  Everlast- 
ing Spring.”  This  tea-house,  with  its  benches  filled  by 
drinkers,  is  “ The  Chamber  of  Fragrant  Almonds.”  The 
newspaper  in  the  hands  of  this  gentleman  smoking  a 
long-stemmed  pipe  is  the  Lin  Su  Fang,  or  “Phoenix 
of  Talent.”  The  rival  house  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street  is  the  “ Golden  Garden  of  All  Peace.” 

The  gentlemen  sitting  here  at  this  noonday  hour  have 
come  in  to  talk  business.  They  do  not  at  once  plunge 
into  it,  but  order  their  tea,  converse  awhile  on  other  mat- 
ters, and  approach  the  subject  of  trade  oidy  after  a profu- 
sion of  flowery  compliments. 

In  nearly  every  shop  we  see  an  inscription,  • — usually 
a moral  aphorism  from  Confucius,  who  was  the  “ Poor 
Bichard  ” and  Dr.  Watts  of  China  ! 

The  inscriptions  are  on  scrolls  of  red  paper,  with  illu- 
minated borders.  From  Bridgeman’s  book  of  Chinese 
Proverbs  we  select  a few  to  show  their  character  : — 

“ If  the  blind  lead  the  blind,  they  will  both  go  into  the 
pit.” 

“ A fair  wind  raises  no  storm.” 

“ A man  may  be  deprived  of  life,  but  a good  name  can- 
not be  taken  from  him.” 

“ Every  man  sees  the  faults  of  others,  but  cannot  dis- 
cern his'own.” 


332 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


“ If  the  fence  is  strong  the  clogs  will  not  get  in.” 

“ What  is  easily  acquired  is  easily  lost.” 

“ Man  contrives,  but  heaven  decrees.” 

“ A gem  is  not  polished  without  rubbing,  nor  a man 
perfected  without  trials.” 

“ A word  spoken  in  the  ear  is  heard  a thousand  miles 
off.” 

“ Better  not  be  than  be  nothing.” 

“ Great  humility  is  great  honor.” 

“ That  which  soars  not  high  is  not  hurt  by  the  fall.” 

“ It  is  only  the  naked  who  fear  the  light.” 

“ If  what  we  see  is  doubtful,  how  can  we  believe  what 
is  spoken  behind  the  back.” 

We  reach  the  liquor-shop  of  Shun  Woo,  the  “ Faith 
and  Charity  ” saloon,  while  the  proprietor  is  worshipping 
his  deceased  ancestors. 

The  entire  front  of  the  establishment  is  open,  and  we 
have  an  unobstructed  view  of  the  interior,  — bottles  of 
brandy,  gin,  whiskey,  wine,  and  cordials,  on  the  shelves, 
and  in  the  centre  of  the  room  a table  spread  with  plates 
of  fish,  one  with  a cold  chicken,  cups  of  boiled  rice,  plates 
of  sweetmeats  and  delicacies.  The  shopkeeper  and  his 
family  stand  behind  the  tables.  He  lights  two  candles, 
and  several  incense  sticks  ; and  wdiile  the  pleasant  fra- 
grance fills  the  room,  he  kneels,  touches  the  floor  with  his 
forehead,  rises,  doubles  up  his  fists,  putting  his  knuckles 
together,  raises  them  to  his  face,  bows  and  kneels  again, 
takes  from  the  table  a bunch  of  silver  paper,  sets  it  on 
fire,  and  stands  in  reverent  attitude  till  it  is  consumed. 

This  religious  ceremony  which  we  have  just  witnessed 
is  to  be  taken  into  account  in  all  of  our  estimates  and 
expectations  for  the  future  of  this  country.  It  will  have 
to  do  with  the  introduction  of  railroads,  the  construc- 
tion of  telegraphs,  and  the  advancement  of  civilization 
and  Christianity. 


IN  THE  CITY  OF  SHANGHAE. 


333 


Filial  reverence  is  religion,  and  the  worship  of  the 
dead  is  now  the  chief  religion  of  the  empire. 

The  Chinese  believe  that  the  world  — China  in  par- 
ticular — is  the  realm  of  light,  and  that  after  this  is  the 
world  of  darkness ; that  the  dead  stand  in  need  of  the 
same  articles  of  food  and  clothing,  as  well  as  imple- 
ments of  industry,  that  they  did  in  this.  Coats,  hats, 
shoes,  money,  boats,  sampans,  rice,  fish,  chickens,  are 
needed  there  as  here.  As  the  dead  have  become  invis- 
ible, they  of  course  cannot  eat,  wear,  or  use  anything 
tangible,  but  everything  must  be  made  invisible.  There 
are  no  coats  in  that  land,  no  hats,  no  sampans,  but  those 
who  have  gone  there  are  entirely  dependent  upon  their 
friends  in  this  world.  Those  who  are  in  the  light  cannot 
see  into  the  darkness,  but  they,  being  in  the  darkness,  can 
look  out  into  the  light  and  behold  all  the  acts  of  the 
living,  and  it  is  in  their  power  to  reward  those  who  feed 
and  clothe  them,  and  to  afflict  those  who  forget  to  relieve 
their  necessities.  The  spirits,  if  neglected  by  the  liv- 
ing, take  their  revenge  by  sending  sickness  and  disease, 
in  its  various  forms,  not  only  upon  their  relatives,  but 
upon  the  public  generally.  A dutiful  son  worships  at 
the  grave  of  his  father,  who  rewards  him  with  health  and 
prosperity.  It  is  a great  misfortune  for  a Chinaman  to 
die  in  a foreign  land  away  from  home,  for  then  he  is 
deprived  of  the  benefits  of  the  offerings  of  his  relatives 
and  descendants.  We  see,  therefore,  why  it  is  that  the 
Chinese  in  California  send  home  the  bodies  of  their  coun- 
trymen who  die  there.  They  have  a fund  for  that  pur- 
pose. The  dead  would  take  vengeance  upon  them  if  they 
did  not  perform  the  filial  act. 

The  government  of  the  world  of  darkness  is  supposed 
to  be  a counterpart  to  that  of  China,  from  the  emperor 
down  to  the  mandarins  of  one  button,  and  even  to  the 
policemen.  They  also  believe  that  character  is  not 


334 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


changed  by  death,  hut  that  a mandarin,  a judge,  a police- 
man, can  he  influenced  in  that  land  hy  bribes,  just  as  in 
this  world. 

The  ancestral  tablet  in  this  “ Faith  and  Charity  ” sa- 
loon is  a small  red  board,  covered  with  characters  setting 
forth  the  virtues  of  deceased  ancestors.  In  old  families, 
tablets  are  found  dating  back  many  centuries. 

There  are  temples  erected  by  wealthy  men  for  the 
preservation  of  the  tablets  of  their  fathers,  to  which 
their  own  will  be  added  after  death.  There  are  no 
edifices  more  sacred  than  these  ancestral  halls.  We  of 
the  Western  world  trace  with  pride  our  connection  with 
the  family  tree  back  to  the  ancient  trunk  which  flourished 
on  the  soil  of  Old  England,  and  in  that  “ fast-anchored 
isle  ” the  last  thing  which  men  part  with  in  adversity 
is  the  old  homestead.  We  cannot  bear  the  thought 
of  being  forgotten  after  death.  Our  instinct  of  immor- 
tality ever  utters  its  protest  against  annihilation.  We 
want  to  be  remembered.  The  lieart-aclie  of  Kirk  White 
has  been  felt  by  millions.  Mournful  that  exclamation 
of  his,  “ Fifty  years  hence  who  will  think  of  Henry  ! ” 

To  secure  immortality,  to  cause  our  names  to  be  held 
in  fond  remembrance,  we  found  schools  and  hospitals, 
put  stained  windows  in  churches,  endow  colleges,  estab- 
lish libraries,  with  the  hope  that  we  shall  not  be  wholly 
forgotten  when  we  have  passed  away.  In  like  manner 
this  ancestral  worship  appeals  to  the  deepest  instincts  of 
the  soul.  It  permeates  society,  and  is  the  basis  almost 
of  the  political  system  of  the  empire.  It  is  the  foun- 
dation of  the  law  of  inheritance,  and  to  a great  degree  of 
the  land  tenure.  The  chief  desire  of  the  Chinaman  is 
for  children  to  bear  his  name,  — a son  who  will  care  for 
him  when  he  is  dead,  and  make  his  existence  comfort- 
able and  pleasant  in  the  future  life ; for  just  in  propor- 
tion to  the  reverence  and  devotion  of  the  living  will  be 


IN  THE  CITY  OF  SHANGHAE. 


335 


the  happiness  of  the  dead.  A daughter  is  of  hut  little 
account,  hence  woman’s  degradation. 

It  is  the  duty  of  the  eldest  son  to  perform  these  filial 
acts  to  the  dead;  hence  the  laws  which  give  him  the 
largest  share  of  the  estate,  and  that  keep  up  the  un- 
equal distribution  of  property  through  succeeding  gen- 
erations. A man  having  been  married  a certain  number 
of  years,  and  having  no  son,  may  marry  a second  wife, 
or  any  number  of  wives,  and  thus  polygamy  becomes  a 
civil  institution.  If  a man  dies  without  male  issue,  or 
becomes  a Christian,  or  repudiates  the  worship  of  his 
ancestors,  he  consigns  all  of  them,  father,  grandfather, 
and  great-grandfather,  to  beggary,  and  inflicts  unknown 
miseries  upon  the  living. 

Eev.  Mr.  Yates  says  : “ I have  known  a father  threaten 
to  take  his  own  life  in  order  to  insure  punishment  upon 
his  only  son  if  he  became  a Christian  ! ” 

If  one  man  offends  another,  the  aggrieved  will  not  seek 
revenge  by  taking  the  life  of  his  enemy  with  revolver, 
rifle,  or  by  arsenic,  as  some  people  are  in  the  habit  of 
doing  in  civilized  lands,  but  will  stab  himself  on  the 
doorstep  of  his  enemy,  who,  under  the  laws  of  China, 
will  stand  a chance  of  having  his  head  chopped  off ! 

To  be  beheaded  is  not  only  the  severest  punishment 
but  the  greatest  disgrace  that  can  happen  to  a man ; for 
if  a spirit  appears  in  the  world  of  darkness  without  a 
head,  it  is  prima  facie  evidence,  only  the  face  is  wanting, 
that  he  was  a wicked  fellow  here,  and  he  is  at  once  given 
over  by  the  mandarins  of  that  world  to  be  tormented  by 
demons. 

During  the  late  rebellion  both  parties  cut  off  the  heads 
of  those  slain  in  battle,  that  they  might  be  headless  in 
the  other  world.  The  friends  of  those  who  were  thus 
decapitated  were  accustomed  to  visit  the  battle-fields  and 
unite  the  heads  and  bodies  again.  We  are  not  informed 


336 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


as  to  wliat  the  effect  would  be  if  a head  was  joined  to 
the  wrong  body,  making  a composite  man  ! It  must  be 
rather  queer  for  a person  to  find  out  that  he  had  the 
brains,  eyes,  mouth,  and  nose  belonging  to  somebody 
else,  or  discover  that  his  body  was  not  his  own  ! 

There  are  three  great  festivals  during  the  year,  when 
contributions  and  offerings  are  made  for  the  dead  who 
have  no  friends  to  care  for  them.  It  is  estimated  that 
the  expenditure  in  this  city  for  paper,  shoes,  boats,  robes, 
hats,  coats,  and  other  articles  of  clothing  for  the  comfort 
and  happiness  of  the  friendless  dead,  is  not  less  than 
$ 18,000  per  annum.  With  this  for  a basis,  there  would 
be  expended  throughout  the  empire  about  tliirty  million 
dollars  per  annum  in  public  charity.  In  addition  every 
family  has  its  own  offerings  to  make.  Allowing  each 
family  in  the  empire  to  spend  one  dollar  and  fifty  cents 
per  annum,  and  taking  the  population  at  four  hundred 
millions,  or  eighty  million  families,  with  five  persons  to 
each  household,  we  have  one  hundred  and  twenty  million 
dollars  expended  in  private  offerings  for  the  dead,  or  a 
total  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  millions,  including  public 
contributions.  This  amount  goes  out  in  flame  and  smoke 
burned  for  the  benefit  of  the  dead ! 

Yet  this  is  not  prompted  by  filial  affection ; for  the 
Chinese  are  not  more  affectionate  than  the  people  of  the 
United  States.  This  constant  sacrifice  for  the  dead  is 
impelled  by  self-interest  and  fear,  and  not  by  reverence 
alone.  The  living  are  slaves  to  the  dead.  The  genera- 
tions of  to-day  are  chained  to  those  of  the  past. 

A few  steps  farther  along  the  street  and  we  are  at  the 
shop  of  “ Heavenly  Benevolence,’ ” where  articles  for  the 
dead  are  sold.  A man  with  two  large  baskets  suspended 
from  a bamboo  passes  us,  collecting  the  gifts  that  have 
been  made  for  the  benefit  of  deceased  sailors,  orphans, 
and  all  who  have  no  living  friends  to  care  for  them  in 


EN  THE  CITY  OF  SHANGHAE. 


337 


the  future  life.  The  articles  have  been  exposed  in  front 
of  the  shops  and  houses  during  the  day,  that  all  may  see 
how  kind-hearted 
and  benevolent  the 
contributors  are. 

Although  the  Chi- 
nese do  not  sound 
a trumpet  before 
them,  as  did  the 
Pharisees  of  old 
time,  they  make 
an  ostentatious  dis- 
play of  their  bene- 
factions. 

As  the  evening 
approaches,  the  peo- 
ple gather,  kindle  a 
fire,  and  cast  the 
gifts  into  the  flames. 

Shall  we  smile  at 
the  idea  ? Was  it 
not  Friar  Tetzel 

, -i  ■,  , , REMEMBERING  DEPARTED  FRIENDS. 

who  declared  that 

as  soon  as  the  money  chinked  in  the  box,  the  imprisoned 
soxd  escaped  from  purgatory  ? Does  not  the  greatest 
church  in  Christendom  still  hold  to  the  doctrine  that  gifts 
of  money  for  the  saying  of  mass  will  transfer  a spirit  from 
purgatory  to  paradise  ? It  is  not  well  for  us  to  ridicule 
the  Chinese,  in  view  of  all  the  circumstances. 


15 


v 


338 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  XLIII. 


FUNG  SHUEY. 


HINA  is  a land  of  superstitions.  Perhaps  it  is  not 


to  he  wondered  at.  for  gross  credulity  still  lingers  in 
communities  that  call  themselves  most  civilized.  Not 
only  in.  England,  hut  in  America,  communities  may  he 
found  which  believe  that  when  a murder  is  committed 
the  innocence  or  guilt  of  all  persons  may  be  ascertained 
by  compelling  them  to  touch  the  body  of  the  victim.  If 
guilty,  blood  will  ooze  from  the  pores.  A thunder-storm 
in  this  country  is  a sign  that  the  emperor’s  ministers  are 
in  a quarrel,  and  when  a fog  comes  on  it  is  a sure  in- 
dication that  women  are  having  an  undue  influence  over 
public  and  private  affairs  ! It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
affairs  of  our  own  country  will  not  become  foggy  under 
the  present  movement  of  woman  for  an  enlargement  of 
her  sphere  of  action. 

The  superstition  which  perhaps  is  almost  as  great  a hin- 
drance to  progress  as  ancestral  worship  is  Fung  Shuey. 
The  literal  meaning  of  the  term  is  “ wind  and  water.”  To 
comprehend  it  we  must  understand  the  natural  philoso- 
phy of  these  people,  and  become  acquainted  with  their 
views  of  the  phenomena  of  the  seasons. 

In  speculating  upon  the  philosophy  of  nature,  behold- 
ing the  putting  forth  of  leaves  at  the  approach  of  spring, 
the  budding  of  fruits,  the  unfolding  of  flowers,  before  the 
breezes  from  the  balmy  south  on  the  one  hand,  and  on 
the  other  noticing  the  falling  of  leaves,  the  decay  of  vege- 
tation before  the  north  winds  of  the  fall  and  winter, 
they  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  all  genial  and  life- 


FUNG  SHUEY. 


339 


giving  influences  are  from  the  south,  and  all  decaying  and 
destructive  influences  are  from  the  north.  Goodness,  vir- 
tue, happiness,  joy,  peace,  prosperity,  and  long  life  are 
from  the  south,  wafted  on  the  gentle  breezes ; hut  the 
northern  blasts  blown  by  the  devil,  if  not  turned  aside, 
will  bring  disaster,  disease,  and  death. 

They  have  not  peopled  the  fields  and  woods,  the  moun- 
tains and  valleys,  with  the  nymphs  and  naiads  of  Grecian 
fables ; Pan  does  not  play  his  pipe  ; there  are  no  dancing 
fauns  or  pretty  sprites  in  their  philosophy;  but  these 
climatic  influences  are  incarnations,  — good  spirits  from 
the  south,  bad  ones  from  the  north. 

Somehow  these  influences  cannot  move  east  or  west, 
but  are  compelled  to  advance  in  right  lines  from  the 
north  or  south.  They  cannot  turn  a corner,  and  if  any 
obstacle  is  placed  in  their  path,  they  are  effectually 
stopped. 

We  smile  at  the  superstition,  but  to  the  Chinese  it  is 
reality  and  sound  philosophy.  It  is  a science,  and  there 
are  numerous  doctors  of  Fung  Shuey,  — men  who  are 
called  Sien  Sangs,  who  detect  the  causes  of  bad  Fung 
Shuey  and  apply  proper  remedies. 

Some  months  since  the  merchants  in  the  city  became 
alarmed  at  the  falling  off  of  business,  and  the  Fung 
Shuey  doctors  were  called  upon  to  ascertain  the  cause. 
They  met  in  solemn  council.  No  consultation  of  country 
doctors  over  a desperate  case  of  typhoid  fever  could  be 
more  grave  than  theirs.  After  a thorough  canvass  of  the 
case,  it  was  discovered  that  the  north  gate  of  the  city  , 
had  no  walls  before  it  to  arrest  the  bad  spirits,  and  that  in 
consequence  they  had  come  in  and  played  their  pranks 
among  the  business  men,  causing  stagnation  of  trade,  fail- 
ures, and  hard  times  generally ! The  wall  across  the 
street  was  at  once  erected,  and  as  the  devils  cannot  turn  a 
right  angle,  no  more  can  get  in  by  that  portal ! 


340 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


With  Eev.  Mr.  Yates  for  a guide,  we  walk  down  the 
comparatively  clean  streets  of  the  French  settlement, 
and  enter  the  city  by  the  northern  gate.  The  walls  are 
of  brick,  about  twenty  feet  high.  We  pass  some  poor 
wretches  who  obtain  their  rice  by  picking  up  straws, 
sticks,  and  reeds  from  festering  muck-heaps,  which  they 
dry  and  sell  for  fuel.  By  the  entrance  are  itinerant 
venders  of  doughnuts,  barbers,  and  fortune-tellers. 

We  are  compelled  to  turn  to  the  right,  as  we  step  in- 
side, — a brick  wall  being  built  across  the  street. 

“ This  wall  is  Fung  Shuey,”  says  Mr.  Yates. 

A few  steps  farther,  and  he  calls  our  attention  to  a bas- 
ket dangling  from  a pole  in  front  of  a chamber  window. 

“ That  also  is  Fung  Shuey.” 

The  basket  was  put  up  to  catch  any  of  the  bad  imps 
who  might  be  aiming  to  get  into  the  apartment. 

Down  the  street  a few  rods  we. see  a board  fence  built 
in  front  of  windows  which  face  the  north,  and  are  in- 
formed that  the  fence  is  Fung  Shuey. 

We  notice  a rude  picture  of  a Chinese  deity  on  the 
wall  with  a lamp  burning  before  it,  reminding  us  of  the 
pictures  of  the  Virgin  on  the  walls  of  old  Rome. 

“ More  Fung  Shuey.” 

Our  stroll  takes  us  to  the  Mission  church,  a plain  edi- 
fice with  a Gothic  tower ; near  by  is  the  yamun,  or  palace 
of  a mandarin.  He  calls  our  attention  to  its  situation, 
and  says,  “ Here  we  have  some  Fung  Shuey  which  is 
connected  with  our  church  edifice.”  While  the  city  was 
besieged  by  the  rebels  the  mandarin  who  occupied  the 
palace  near  Mr.  Yates’s  church  died,  and  all  the  Fung 
Shuey  doctors  said  his  death  was  caused  by  the  tower 
of  the  church,  which  kept  off  the  good  spirits  but  let 
in  the  bad. 

After  the  rebels  were  driven  away,  a deputation  of 
officials  waited  upon  the  missionaries,  and  stated  that,  as 


FUNG  SHUEY. 


341 


the  tower  had  caused  the  death  of  a mandarin,  no  one 
was  willing  to  come  under  its  baleful  influence,  and  that 
for  the  good  of  the  community  it  must  he  torn  down. 
The  missionaries  proposed  to  discuss  the  matter,  but  the 
officials  declined  the  offer  and  appealed  to  higher  au- 
thorities to  remove  the  palace  to  some  other  quarter  of 
the  city.  This  was  not  granted.  The  doctors  of  Fung 
Shuey  were  then  called  in  council,  and  it  was  finally 
decided  to  rebuild  the  edifice,  which  had  been  nearly  de- 
stroyed by  the  rebels,  in  such  a way  that  when  the  bad 
devils  came  down  from  the  north  they  would  strike  the 
outer  wall  of  the  palace  at  a sharp  angle,  just  as  the 
current  of  a swift  river  strikes  the  cutwater  of  a clipper, 
and  thus  be  turned  aside.  Perhaps  'the  doctors  fancied 
the  imps  would  go  plump  against  the  church.  Had  we 


FUNG  SHUEY. 


the  philosophy  of  these  people,  and  were  our  sight  re- 
fined enough  to  penetrate  the  realm  of  these  spirits,  pos- 
sibly we  should  see  h,  heap  of  imps  at  the  foot  of  the 
church-tower ! 


342 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


This  superstition  is  universally  believed  in  by  the 
wisest  mandarin  of  three  buttons  as  well  as  by  the 
poorest  and  most  ignorant  cooly,  and  the  attempts  of 
individuals  to  ward  off  bad  spirits  by  the  erection  of 
fences,  walls,  baskets,  and  the  planting  of  trees,  to  the 
detriment  of  their  neighbors,  leads  to  constant  litigation. 
It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  Fung  Shuey  affects  the 
dead  as  well  as  the  living,  and  the  greatest  care  is  taken 
to  protect  graves  from  evil  influences. 

“ Here,”  says  Mr.  Yates,  “ we  get  at  the  cause  of  the 
hostility  of  the  Chinese  to  foreigners.”  We  are  inno- 
vators; we  disturb  Fung  Shuey,  keep  out  the  good. and 
let  in  a legion  of  bad  spirits.  We  want  to  set  up  tele- 
graph-poles, open  coal-mines ; and  build  railroads,  which 
would  disturb  the  dead ; for  if  railroads  are  constructed, 
the  Chinese  will  be  compelled  to  gather  up  the  bones  of 
their  fathers,  put  them  in  pots,  and  remove  them  to  other 
localities. 

With  this  insight  into  the  religion  of  China,  we  can 
better  comprehend  the  reason  for  the  deadness  of  the 
empire.  The  people  think  constantly  of  the  dead;  every 
motive  of  action  has  reference  to  the  reward  or  punish- 
ment they  will  receive  from  their  ancestors.  How  can  a 
nation  advance  while  dragging  a hundred  generations  ? 
Their  thoughts  and  aspirations  are  circumscribed  by  their 
slavish  fear  of  the  dead.  An  innovator  — a man  who 
does  what  the  fathers  did  not  do  — perils  the  happiness 
of  both  the  living  and  the  dead.  Foreignei'S  are  inno- 
vators, therefore  to  be  resisted.'  Hence  all  advancement 
thus  far  has  been  made  by  superior  force,  — by  the  can- 
non’s argument.  Every  treaty  that  has  been- made  with 
foreign  powers  has  been  wrung  from  a government  re- 
luctant to  disturb  the  old  order  of  things.  We  see  why 
missionaries  have  such  up-hill  work,  and  wonder  at  what 
they  have  accomplished ; we  see  why  the  Chinese  are 


FUNG  SHUEY. 


343 


determined  not  to  have  railroads.  The  empire  is  a 
graveyard.  Railroads  are  remorseless ; they  cut  through 
the  cities  of  the  living  and  of  the  dead  alike.  A railroad 
running  ten  miles  in  China  would  disturb  the  whole 
spirit-realm.  Unlucky  strokes  from  spades  might  sever 
skulls  from  vertebrae  in  some  ancestral  burial-ground,  and 
then  there  would  be  headless  ghosts  wandering  through 
the  land  of  darkness,  and  sickness,  pestilence,  calamity, 
and  untold  horrors  would  settle  upon  China.  Firmness 
only  on  the  part  of  the  Western  nations  in  the  revision 
of  the  treaties  will  forward  Christian  civilization  in  this 
benighted  land.  China  will  advance  only  by  pressure 
from  without.  The  inertia  of  the  mass  is  too  great  to 
move  of  itself  along  the  path  of  modern  civilization. 
When  that  screeching  innovator,  the  locomotive,  begins  to 
move  across  the  plains  of  this  Flowery  Land,  ploughing 
up  old  bones,  breaking  the  chains  which  bind  the  living 
to  the  dead,  there  will  be  hope  for  China.  It  will  yet  do 
for  China  what  it  is  doing  for  India.  It  is  a powerful 
missionary.  Idols,  caste,  prejudices,  sacred  bulls,  Brah- 
mans, customs,  religions,  laws,  governments,  dynasties, 
pashas,  mandarins,  and  kings  are  borne  down  by  that 
great  leveller.  No  other  agent  of  civilization  can  be  so 
potent  in  these  Eastern  lands,  not  even  the  press. 

There  is  a strong  anti-foreign  party  composed  of  man- 
darins, officials,  and  literary  men,  who  fear  that  the  intro- 
duction of  machinery,  with  liberty  for  foreigners  to  go 
where  they  please,  and  carry  on  trade,  will  in  the  end 
diminish  their  power  and  influence.  In  October  last  the 
emperor  sent  a secret  note  to  the  governor-general  of 
the  two  provinces  of  Kiangsi  and  Nganwhei,  calling  for 
his  views  in  regard  to  the  revision  of  the  treaties  with 
foreign  powers. 

This  official,  Tseng,  who  is  a mandarin  of  high  rank, 
and  one  of  the  ablest  in  the  empire,  has  prepared  a curious 


344 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


document.  He  says  that  “ the  object  of  foreigners  in 
coming  to  China  and  trading  largely  in  goods  is  to 
follow  out  their  nefarious  devices  of  depriving  others 
of  advantages,  and  they  wish  to  damage  the  mer- 
chants of  China.”  He  draws  a picture  of  the  deplor- 
able condition  of  the  empire,  and  attributes  it  to  the 
throwing  open  of  the  treaty  ports  and  the  presence  of 
foreign  steamers,  which  have  ruined  trade  and  driven 
off  junks. 

He  says : “ If  small  steamers  be  allowed  in  the  interior, 
native  craft  of  every  size,  sailors,  and  pilots  will  suffer ; 
and  if  they  are  allowed  to  construct  telegraphs  and  rail- 
roads, owners  of  carts,  mules,  chairs,  and  inns,  and  the 
coolies,  will  suffer.” 

We  do  not  wonder  at  such  an  expression ; it  is  the 
same  old  cry  which  has  been  raised  in  every  land  against 
public  improvements.  What  a prejudice  Stephenson  had 
to  encounter  in  England  before  getting  the  first  railroad 
started  ! Land-owners,  turnpike-men,  owners  of  fast 
horses,  proprietors  of  stage  lines,  lords,  dukes,  and  earls, 
opposed  the  introduction  of  railroads  with  just  such  argu- 
ments. The  ablest  lawyers  of  the  realm,  politicians  in 
the  Commons  and  peers  in  the  House  of  Lords  drew 
gloomy  pictures  of  the  ruin  and  distress  which  railroads 
would  • bring  upon  the  country.  And  to-day  the  farm 
laborers  of  England  are  smashing  mowers  and  reapers,  be- 
cause they  compete,  as  they  think,  with  manual  labor. 

But  Governor-General  Tseng  is  not  altogether  an  old 
fogy.  He  is  anxious  to  introduce  foreign  machinery  into 
the  coal-mines  on  the  Yangtse  and  in  the  Northern 
Peninsula.  The  Chinese  are  mining  the  surface  veins, 
and  the  coal,  though  of  poor  quality,  is  used  by  the  river 
steamers  in  their  downward  trips.  It  is  believed  that 
veins  lower  in  the  strata  will  yield  a better  article.  The 
governor-general  says  : — 


FUNG  SHUEY. 


345 


“ It  would  enrich  China  to  borrow  appliances  for  ex- 
tracting coal,  and  it  would  appear  to  deserve  a trial.” 

The  position  which  he  would  have  the  emperor  take 
is  summed  up  in  the  following  sentence  : — 

“ With  respect  to  the  points  that  are  not  highly  obnox- 
ious, we  not  only  should  not  contend  over  them  much ; 
we  should  grant  them,  if  asked.  It  is  only  as  to  rail- 
roads, steamers,  salt,  and  residence  in  the  interior  for 
trade,  as  destructive  to  our  people’s  interest,  that  a stren-  ! 
uous  fight  should  be  made.” 

It  has  been  known,  for  some  time,  that  there  are  gold 
deposits  in  the  mountains  of  the  Shangtung  province, 
which  lies  north  of  Shanghae  half-way  to  Pekin.  The 
mandarins  have  kept  a close  watch  over  the  country, 
driving  off  all  gold-seekers,  dreading  an  irruption  of  red- 
shirted  men  from  California  and  Australia.  But  the  Chi- 
nese have  at  last  broken  loose.  The  people  have  set  the 
officials  at  defiance,  and  have  gone  to  work  washing  the 
gold  from  the  streams.  They  are  called  the  Cheefoo  mines, 
and  are  easy  of  access.  How  extensive  or  how  rich  the 
deposit  is  not  known.  Should  they  prove  to  be  rich, 
Tseng’s  recommendations  for  keeping  out  foreigners  will 
be  of  no  avail.  The  Chinese  themselves  have  caught  the 
gold-fever.  So  many  of  them  have  been  in  California  that 
they  are  keenly  alive  to  anything  relating  to  gold-mining. 
The  mines  bring  business,  and  there  are  no  sharper  or 
shrewder  men  in  the  world  than  the  Chinese. 

“ The  best  thing  that  could  happen  to  China,”  says  a 
leading  American  merchant,  “ would  be  the  introduction 
of  a few  thousand  California  gold-miners.”  The  irruption 
of  such  an  element,  if  not  too  violent,  would  infuse  new 
life  into  the  dead  mass. 

In  1849  one  of  the  high  officers  of  the  empire  was 
sent  into  exile  for  publishing  a geography,  for  eulo- 
gizing the  character  of  Washington,,  and  praising  the 

15* 


346 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


people  of  other  lands,  especially  of  the  United  States. 
Up  to  that  time  the  Chinese  believed  that  they  were  the 
mightiest  people  under  the  sun,  the  favored  of  Heaven. 
The  emperor  signed  himself  “ Son  of  Heaven.”  There 
was  no  other  country  so  grand.  There  was  no  south  pole, 
no  Antarctic  continent.  Their  map  of  the  world  was 
like  a shawl,  China  being  the  shawl  and  all  other  coun- 
tries the  fringe.  This  high  official,  the  lieutenant-governor 
of  Foochow,  had  come  in  contact  with  the  American 
missionaries,  acquired  a knowledge  of  geography  and 
history,  and  astonished  his  countrymen  by  issuing  a work 
in  ten  volumes,  with  forty-two  maps,  which  as  completely 
upset  old  Chinese  ideas  as  did  the  discovery  of  America 
those  of  the  cardinals  and  prelates  of  the  Ghurch  in 
1492.  The  empire  which,  from  all  time,  had  been  the 
great  “ Middle  Kingdom  ” of  the  universe,  was  seen  to  be 
but  a mere  patch  on  the  surface  of  the  globe  ; and  the 
high  eulogy  of  the  character  of  Washington,  his  patriot- 
ism, his  prowess,  placed  him  on  a par  with  the  old  he- 
roes of  the  empire,  who  flourished,  according  to  Chinese 
chronology,  four  thousand  years  ago.  The  emperor  was 
swift  to  take  vengeance  upon  one  who  had  thus  degraded 
the  empire  and  brought  himself,  the  “ Son  of  Heaven,” 
down  from  his  exalted  position.  The  offender  was  sent 
into  exile,  and  was  only  restored  last  year.  One  of  the 
last  official  acts  of  Mr.  Burlingame  was  the  presentation 
to  him  of  a copy  of  Stuart’s  picture  of  Washington.  He 
is  now  in  office  again  at  Pekin. 

There  is  not  much  strength  in  the  Imperial  govern- 
ment, and  we  have  met  men  here  who  say  that  it  cannot 
last  long,  that  it  will  soon  fall  to  pieces,  that  the  dis- 
integrating elements  at  work  are  increasing  in  force. 
When  Mr.  Burlingame  started  from  Pekin,  on  his  foreign 
mission,  he  was  in  danger  of  capture  by  banditti,  and  was 
obliged  to  send  to  Tientsing  for  an  escort  of  marines. 


FUNG  SHUEY. 


347 


The  marauders  are  still  having  things  their  own  way. 
It  is  reported  that  the  Southwest  Province,  Yunan,  has 
set  up  a government  of  its  own,  and  we  have  intelli- 
gence that  the  Mohammedans  of  the  western  provinces 
have  thrown  off  allegiance  to  the  emperor,  and  are  waging 
war  against  idolatry.  This  is  in  China  proper,  territory 
which  lies  east  of  the  ninety-ninth  meridian.  Beyond  that 
are  Thibet  and  Turkestan,  which  are  nearly  as  large  as 
all  the  rest  of  the  empire,  that  have  paid  tribute  for  many 
years,  but  now  have  broken  loose  from  the  Manchu 
dynasty. 

These  events  are  regarded  as  the  beginning  of  a com- 
plete dissolution.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  Pekin 
government  is  undoubtedly  stronger  to-day  than  it  was 
when  the  Taepings  were  besieging  Shanghae,  were  in 
possession  of  the  whole  valley  of  the  Yangtse  and  rioting 
in  the  imperial  city  of  Nankin.  The  lopping  off  of  the 
tributary  countries  may  give  strength  instead  of  produ- 
cing weakness.  The  danger  of  the  empire  lies  in  the 
independence  and  authority  of  the  governor-generals  of 
the  provinces,  who  do  pretty  much  as  they  please,  piling 
on  taxes  and  plundering  the  people  for  their  own  benefit. 

The  Pekin  government  has  made  a good  beginning. 
The  appointment  of  foreigners  in  the  customs  ; the  estab- 
lishment of  the  College  of  Pekin,  with  Rev.  Dr.  Martin, 
an  American  missionary,  at  its  head ; the  appointment  of 
Mr.  Burlingame  ; the  general  friendliness  toward  foreign- 
ers, especially  Americans,  augurs  well  for  the  future  of 
China  and  the  advancement  of  American  interests. 

In  our  outlook  toward  the  future,  the  part  which  Rus- 
sia is  playing  in  the  East  must  not  be  forgotten.  Her 
influence  is  powerful  in  Mongolia.  The  caravan  trade 
between  China  and  the  chief  towns  of  Siberia  is  im- 
mense. At  the  proper  season  of  the  year  it  is  not  a diffi- 
cult journey  to  Kiachta.  Couriers  are  sent  from  Pekin 


348 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


every  week  with  telegraphic  despatches,  which  are  trans- 
mitted from  that  place.  By  that  route  the  information 
of  Mr.  Burlingame’s  appointment  was  sent  to  the  United 
States.  General  Ignatieff,  the  moving  spirit  of  Bussian 
diplomacy  at  the  present  time,  was  formerly  Minister 
at  Pekin.  Before  his  appointment  to  this  post  he  had 
military  command  in  Central  Asia.  He  understands 
China  and  the  Chinese,  and,  under  the  ever-aggressive 
Muscovite  policy,  the  forces  of  Russia,  civil  and  military, 
are  creeping  constantly  nearer  to  the  Great  Wall.  It 
was  under  IgnatiefFs  policy  that  the  vast  region  north  of 
Corea  was  annexed  to  Russia.  The  arms  of  the  Czar  are 
triumphant  at  Bokhara.  Mountain  ranges  and  deserts 
are  not  formidable  obstacles  to  a people  whose  home  is 
among  northern  ice-fields,  whose  banners  have  waved 
over  Paris,  who  held  the  Malakoff  so  many  months 
against  the  combined  forces  of  England,  France,  Italy, 
and  Turkey.  In  the  course  of  time  the  Western  nations 
may  look  for  the  quiet  transfer  of  Mongolia  to  Russia. 
China  can  make  no  fight  against  anybody.  There  is  not 
force  enough  in  the  body  politic  • to  create  an  army  able 
to  contend  against  the  disciplined  troops  of  Western 
nations ; and  whenever  Russia  sees  it  for  her  interest  to 
extend  her  Mongolian  frontier,  there  will  be  no  resist- 
ance. 


0 the  native  watchman  of  Shanghae,  especially  to 


him  whose  beat  is  around  our  hotel,  Dogberry’s  ad- 
dress is  most  appropriate  : “ You  are  thought  here  to  be 
the  most  senseless  and  fit  man  for  the  constable  of  the 
watch.” 


CHAPTER  XLIY. 


FESTIVALS. 


FESTIVALS. 


349 


Through  the  night  we  hear  the  sound  of  his  bamboo 
staff  upon  the  pavement,  beating  the  ground  to  let  all 
rogues  know  that  he  is  about.  With  the  thumping  of  the 
bamboo  and  the  croaking  of  several  hundred  thousand 
frogs  without,  and  the  singing  of  five  hundred  thousand 
nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine  million  mosquitoes  within, 
we  have  little  sleep  ! The  census  of  croakers  and  singers, 
like  that  of  the  four  hundred  millions  of  people  in  the 
empire,  is  not  supposed  to  be  exact,  but  only  an  approxi- 
mation towards  the  true  number.  The  soloists  and  grand 
chorus  of  the  amphibious  minstrels,  and  the  multitudi- 
nous voices  of  the  winged  choir,  are  musical  in  compari- 
son to  the  jargon  between  the  watch  and  several  “vagrom 
men,”  who  persist 
in  hallooing  and 
howling  on  this 
grand  festival  night 
dedicated  to  drag- 


ons. 

There  are  numer- 
ous festivals,  held 
at  different  seasons 
of  the  year,  in  honor 
of  deities  and  drag- 
ons. The  epidemics 
which  sometimes 
sweep  over  this  del- 
ta in  summer  are 
believed  to  be  un- 
der the  control  of 
the  “Five  Emper- 
ors,” whose  temple 
we  saw  at  Canton. 
These  Emperors  are 


devil  deities,  who 


“ BLACK  SPIRITS  AND  WHITE.” 


350 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


send  forth  their  messengers  in  various  forms  to  poison 
the  air. 

To  ward  off  such  calamity  it  is  necessary  to  propitiate 
their  good-will.  There  are  two  classes  whose  favor  must 
be  won,  the  white  and  lofty  and  the  black  and  dumpy 
demons.  They  are  hollow  figures.  The  first  named  are 
twelve  to  fifteen  feet  high,  with  tall  hats  and  white  robes. 
They  are  earned  by  men  who  walk  within  them,  wholly 
concealed  from  view. 

The  demons  of  darkness  are  like  dwarfs  at  a masquer- 
ade, clothed  in  black.  These  images  are  borne  by  boys, 
who,  like  their  fellow-spirits  in  white,  are  concealed 
within  the  hideous  figures. 

The  procession  passes  through  streets,  avenues,  by- 
ways, fields,  and  gardens,  and  the  Emperors  thus  hon- 
ored are  supposed  to  withdraw  their  messengers  of  evil. 
But  notwithstanding  all  this,  malarious  diseases  prevail 
at  Shanghae  and  in  other  parts  of  the  delta  during  the 
summer.  Fevers  are  frequent,  and  cholera  sometimes 
makes  frightful  ravages. 

The  transitions  from  heat  to  cold  are  sudden.  In 
spring  and  autumn  a change  of  20°  in  a few  hours  is  not 
uncommon.  The  annual  rain-fall  is  about  fifty  inches. 
In  July  and  August  the  air  is  saturated  with  moisture, 
and  showers  are  frequent.  Our  boots,  that  have  been  in 
a closet  twenty-four  hours,  are  covered  with  green  mould ; 
the  linen  in  our  trunks  is  breaking  out  with  yellow  spots  ; 
books  become  musty.  Fires  are  kindled  on  rainy  days  to 
dry  up  the  dampness,  and  every  moment  of  bright  sun- 
shine is  improved  to  air  clothing.  Foreigners  who  can 
get  away  run  over  to  Japan  or  up  to  the  hills  of  Cheefoo, 
in  Northern  China ; but  the  Chinese  take  the  means  al- 
ready described  to  drive  off  the  bad  spirits  that  produce 
all  this  dampness,  mouldiness,  and  accompanying  sick- 
ness. 


FESTIVALS. 


351 


The  display  on  this  festival  day  is  not  alone  in  the 
streets  of  the  town,  hut  every  Chinese  boat  on  the  river 
is  decorated.  t 

When  at  Canton  we  thought  that  in  no  other  part  of 
the  world  could  there  be  found  so  great  a collection  of 
sea-going  and  river  craft,  but  Shanghae  takes  the  palm. 
Boats  are  here  that  were  built  under  the  shadow  of  the 
Himalayas  and  the  mountains  of  Thibet,  or  came  through 
the  grand  canal  from  the  Yellow  River,  bringing  to  mar- 
ket the  productions  of  Tartary.  They  are  packed  a hun- 
dred deep,  in  lines ; moored  in  blocks  like  the  squares 
of  a city,  with  passage-ways  — water  streets  — between 
them,  through  which  in  a sampan  we  work  our  way. 

To  count  them  would  be  a hopeless  undertaking ; we  • 
can  only  reckon  them  by  the  acre  or  square  mile.  Up 
and  down,  as  far  as  we  can  see,  they  are  fastened  to  the 
bank,  anchored  in  the  stream,  or  tied  to  each  other.  It 
is  a city  of  boats,  the  floating  homes  of  a multitude  of 
people. 

From  every  mast  there  waves  “ a banner  with  a strange 
device,”  — dragons  spitting  fire,  gods  with  goggle-eyes ; 
escutcheons  emblazoned  with  mottoes  from  Confucius  and 
other  sages  of  this  Flowery  Land. 

Reaching  the  landing,  we  take  a look  at  the  native  city. 
The  streets  are  filthy.  Fertilizers  are  collected,  not  in 
closely  covered  carts,  for  no  cart  was  ever  seen  inside  the 
walls  of  this  old  town.  Coolies  ladle  the  contents  of 
vaults  and  cesspools  into  open  buckets  at  midday.  The 
perfume  of  peach-bloom,  hyacinth,  and  heliotrope  is  cer- 
tainly more  fragrant,  though  not  so  powerful,  as  the  odors 
in  this  old  city  of  Shanghae. 

It  being  a festival  day,  many  of  the  shops  are  closed, 
and  the  citizens  are  drinking  tea,  smoking,  playing  cards, 
or,  if  of  a literary  turn  of  mind,  reading  novels  or  books 
of  poems. 


352 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  modern  literature  of  China  consists  mainly  of  the 
history  and  geography  of  their  own  land,  and  of  fiction 
and  poetry. 

In  the  bookstores  may  be  obtained  novels- which  are 
quite  as  useful  and  entertaining  as  many  published  in 
the  United  States.  Here  too  we  may  purchase  the  works 
of  the  most  popular  modern  poet  of  their  country,  Lin, 
who  was  born  at  Foochow  in  1787.  He  was  distin- 
guished £ot  only  as  a scholar  and  poet,  but  as  an  officer 
of  the  government.  He  was  prefect  of  Canton  in  1838, 
and  destroyed  the  twenty  thousand  chests  of  opium  de- 
livered to  him  by  the  English.  He  appears  to  have  been 
an  efficient  officer,  and  carried  out  his  instructions  with 
so  much  vigor  that  he  was  degraded  and  sent  into  exile 
in  the  extreme  northwest  province  of  the  empire,  on  the 
borders  of  Tartary.  The  title  conferred  upon  him  by  the 
emperor  while  he  was  in  favor  was  “ The  Literary  and 
Faithful.”  He  died  in  1851.  A volume  entitled  the 
“Eagle-Shooting  Turret,”  containing  selections  from  his 
writings,  was  published  soon  after  his  decease* 

While  in  exile  he  received  the  portrait  of  his  wife,  who 
was  an  estimable  and  highly  educated  lady,  but  who  had 
a paralyzed  hand,  to  which  allusion  is  made  in  the  sweet 
and  tender  lines  written  upon  the  receipt  of  the  pic- 
ture : — 

“ Like  the  wild  waterfowls,  in  nrntual  love 
Each  upon  each  dependent,  did  we  move ; 

But  now,  grief-stricken,  a poor,  lonely  man, 

I roam  in  desolate  exile ! Still  the  ban 
Of  separation  is  less  hard  from  thee, 

Beloved ! than  would  the  horse-hide  cerement  t be  ! 


* Transactions  of  the  China  Branch  of  the  Royal  Asiatic  Society.  ►Part 
III.  1851,  1852. 

t Ma  Yuen,  a hero  of  the  Han  dynasty,  in  order  to  show  his  devotion 
to  his  country,  exclaimed : “ Let  me  die  in  battle,  and  my  corpse  be 
wrapped  up  and  sent  home  in  a horse’s  hide.” 


FESTIVALS. 


353 


Why  should  I weep  1 — I breathe  the  mountain  air. 
Although  a herdsman’s  humble  garb  I wear. 

Yet  I must  weep,  for  my  mind’s  troubled  eye 
Sees  thee  on  suffering’s  couch  of  misery ; 

Thy  gay  cosmetics  all  neglected,  — thou 
Dost  never  seek  the  flattering  mirror  now ; 

Yet  thy  fair  characters,  in  verse  outpoured. 

Have  raptured  all  my  soul,  — mine  own  adored  ! 

I see  thee,  welcome  thee,  in  every  line 
Whose  every  pencil  touch,  dear  wife  ! is  thine ! 

Oft  think  I of  thy  shrivelled  hand  again ! 

Well  may  it  guide  a melancholy  pen  ! 

Shall  it  not  be  restored  ? the  wondrous  gem 
Shines  on  thy  verses,  spiritualizing  them 
As  with  a heavenly  agency.* 

Grass  of  gold  t 

Thou  scatterest ; and  thy  mystic  strains  unrolled 
Make  my  heart  vibrate.  There ’s  a power  in  song 
Stronger  than  sorrow;  was  not  Tsai  Liuen  } strong 
In  all  her  grief  1 how  blest,  my  wife  ! to  hear 
Thy  heart-thoughts  poured  so  sweetly  in  mine  ear, 

As  if  thy  very  soul  were  stamped  in  strains 
Of  truth  and  love,  to  lighten  all  my  pains.” 

This  grand  festival  day  is  brought  to  a close  by  the 
burning  of  innumerable  fire-crackers,  joss-sticks,  and  gilt 
paper  for  the  benefit  of  friends  in  the  spirit-world.  Fam- 
ilies invite  their  friends  to  dine  with  them  at  a neio-h- 

O 

boring  tea-house,  or  on  a flower-boat,  and  thus  the  entire 
day  is  given  to  pleasure. 

* The  wondrous  gem  refers  to  the  sudden  cure  of  a deformity  of  the 
hand,  which  is  reported  to  have  happened  to  a wife  of  Kow  Kwo,  under 
the  Han  dynasty. 

t This  refers  to  the  lanceolated  strokes  formed  by  the  Chinese  pencil  in 
writing,  and  which  are  much  admired. 

t Tsai  Liuen  was  a fairy,  who  married  a man  called  Wan  Sail.  She 
wrote  poetry  to  support  herself,  and  bore  her  misfortunes  with  much 
serenity. 


w 


354 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  XL Y. 

ROMANISM  IN  CHINA. 

ACCOMPANIED  by  our  landlord,  we  ride  through  the 
English  settlement,  strike  into  the  Soochow  road, 
pass  the  limits  of  the  city,  and  gain  the  open  country. 
The  fields  and  gardens  are  swarming  with  men  and 
women  at  work  with  hoes  among  the  young  cotton-plants. 
The  country  is  intersected  with  canals,  and  in  all  directions 
we  see  white  sails  apparently  moving  along  the  surface  of 
the  land.  People  of  all  conditions  are  abroad,  — wealthy 
gentlemen  and  merchants  in  sedans ; coolies  going  to 
market,  carrying  baskets  filled  with  garden  products ; Eng- 
lish sportsmen  trying  their  horses  on  the  race-course ; half 
a dozen  sailors  having  a jolly  time  at  a beer- shop. 

The  picture  faould  be  incomplete  were  we  to  leave  out 
a poor  beggar  lugging  the  decaying  carcass  of  a cat,  so 
long  dead  that  it  taints  the  air. 

“ What  have  you  there,  John  ? ” 

“Chow  chow!” 

A broad  grin  lights  up  his  tawny  face  as  he  holds  up 
his  prize.  It  is  not  often  that  he  tastes  animal  food,  but 
to-day  he  is  going  to  have  a meat  dinner  ! 

Our  way  is  through  a cemetery.  Graves  are  all  around 
us.  The  masonry  of  the  ancient  tombs  crumbled  long 
ago,  but  the  grass-grown  mounds  remain,  undisturbed 
from  century  to  century. 

We  notice  a common  receptacle  for  children  who  die 
before  they  are  old  enough  to  have  their  heads  shaved. 
It  is  a structure  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  square,  covering  a 
deep  well  that  contains  the  decaying  dust  of  thousands' 


ROMANISM  IN  CHINA. 


355 


of  infants.  The  child  who  dies  without  having  his  head 
shaved,  not  being  entitled  to  a coffin,  is  reckoned  a non- 
entity ; but  if  he  lives  to  have  the  hair  braided,  he  is  en- 
titled to  respect  after  death.  It  is  his  badge  of  honor. 
He  has  the  queue  of  life. 

Farther  on  we  come  to  a Foundling  Hospital  established 
by  the  Jesuits,  a spacious  brick  building,  four  stories  in 
height,  with  a church  edifice  attached.  Looking  through 
the  gateway  of  the  enclosure,  we  see  a troop  of  boys  in 
the  garden,  — foundlings,  orphans,  and  some  who  have 
been  purchased  of  their  parents  to  be  trained  for  the 
church. 

The  interior  of  the  church  is  small ; it  has  marble 
floors,  altars  along  the  walls,  poor  pictures  of  scenes  in 
the  life  of  Christ  and  the  Saints,  tawdry  paper  flowers, 
and  a great  show  of  tinsel  around  the  high  altar.  At  one 
of  the  side  chapels  a Chinese  youngster  is  kneeling,  kiss- 
ing the  tiles,  dipping  his  fingers  in  the  holy  water,  and 
making  the  sign  of  the  cross.  The  prayers  are  in  Latin, 
— just  about  as  intelligible  to  these  children  as  Cherokee 
or  Choctaw.  As  it  is  not  necessary  for  the  worshipper 
to  understand  what  he  is  mumbling,  he  might  as  well 
repeat  a stanza  from  Mother  Goose.  And  yet,  for  all 
this,  Romanism  is  doing  a work  in  China  which  will 
be  more  clearly  seen  years  hence  than  at  the  present 
time,  — that  of  bringing  the  people  to  acknowledge  the 
existence  of  one  God.  The  great  advantages  obtained  by 
the  French  priests,  — the  adroitness,  energy,  persever- 
ance, unflagging  zeal,  and  wealth  of  the  church  on  ac- 
count of  the  restoration  of  property  confiscated  two  hun- 
dred years  ago, — all  these  combined  influences  will  go  far 
toward  making- Catholicism  the  dominant  religion  of  the 
empire.  In  this  hospital  we  have  a good  illustration  of 
the  far-sightedness  of  the  Catholic  clergy.  They  have 
great  schemes  for  the  future.  These  children  have  been 


356 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


forsaken  by  fathers  and  mothers,  and  the  priests  have 
taken  them  up.  They  will  be  trained  for  the  church, 
will  have  a livelihood,  which  in  this  country  is  an  im- 
portant matter,  and  their  power  will  soon  be  felt  as 
teachers,  priests,  and  missionaries,  throughout  the  land. 

The  influence  of  Eome  in  China  dates  back  to  the  year 
1288,  when  Pope  Nicholas  IV.  sent  Corvino,  an  Italian, 
to  labor  as  a missionary  in  this  country.  He  built  a 
church  at  Pekin,  and  baptized  several  thousand  persons. 
Intercourse  between  Eome  and  China  was  overland  in 
those  days.  It  was  a long,  uncertain  journey.  Affairs 
in  Europe  occupied  the  attention  of  the  Popes,  and  their 
missionaries  in  the  East  were  neglected,  and  little  was 
accomplished.  It  was  not  till  1581  that  the  attempt  was 
renewed  of  converting  the  Chinese  to  Christianity.  In 
that  year  Eicci,  an  Italian,  reached  Canton,  disguised  as  a 
Buddhist  priest.  He  began  his  work  cautiously,  was  well 
received,  and  in  time  assumed  his  true  character.  No 
obstacle  was  placed  in  his  way  by  the  government  or 
people.  Other  priests  were  sent  out  under  the  control  of 
the  Jesuits.  Success  attended  their  efforts.  Eicci  was  a 
shrewd  man,  and  cultivated  the  friendship  of  the  Chinese. 
The  Anecdotes  de  la  Chine  has  a notice  of  the  labors  of 
this  preacher  of  the  faith,  which,  if  true,  allows  us  to 
conclude  that  his  Christianity  was  not  of  a high  order. 
The  author  of  the  work,  himself  a Eomanist,  says  : — 

“ The  kings  found  in  him  a man  full  of  complaisances, 
the  pagans  a minister  who  accommodated  himself  to  then- 
superstitions,  the  mandarins  a politic  courtier,  and  the 
Devil  a faithful  servant,  who,  far  from  destroying,  estab- 
lished his  reign  among  the  heathen,  and  even  extended  it 
to  Christians ! ” 

He  adopted  the  practice  of  sacrificing  to  Confucius  and 
the  ancestors,  and  placed  a cross  wreathed  with  flowers 
among  the  idols  in  the  temples.  Converts  multiplied, 


ROMANISM  IN  CHINA.  357 

and  monasteries,  convents,  and  churches  were  established 
in  many  places. 

Up  to  this  period  the  Jesuits  had  control  of  the  church 
in  China,  but  the  contest  between  that  order  and  the 
Dominicans  in  Europe  for  supremacy  extended  to  this 
country  and  raged  fiercely.  Plots  and  counter-plots  were 
laid.  The  Jesuits  intrigued  in  political  affairs.  The  gov- 
ernments of  Europe  at  this  time  were  expelling  the  order. 
They  were  driven  from  France  in  1593 ; from  Venice, 
1606  ; Poland,  1607  ; and  Bohemia,  1619.  r 

From  the  earliest  records  of  authentic  history,  the 
Chinese  government  has  been  tolerant  of  all  religions. 
The  people  might  believe  what  they  pleased,  worship 
after  their  own  inclination,  preach  any  faith,  provided  it 
did  not  interfere  with  the  government. 

The  priests,  after  the  death  of  Eicci,  which  occurred  in 
1610,  were  wanting  in  worldly  wisdom.  The  principles  of 
the  order  made  them  arrogant.  They  demanded  obedience 
of  their  converts  to  themselves  rather  than  to  the  govern- 
ment. 

An  emperor  came  to  the  throne  in  1723  who  deter- 
mined to  rule.  A large  number  of  priests  were  banished, 
and  edicts  passed  ordering  the  few  who  were  permitted 
to  remain  at  Canton  to  give  no  cause  for  complaint. 
Some  of  those  who  were  exiled  returned.  They  were 
subjected  to  persecution,  and  the  property  of  the  church 
confiscated,  but  they  were  never  wholly  driven  out. 

When  the  French  brought  forward  the  treaty  lately 
signed  between  France  and  China,  one  article  stipulated 
that  all  the’  property  confiscated  two  hundred  years  ago 
should  be  restored  to  the  Jesuits. 

“ It  is  impossible,”  said  the  emperor’s  ministers. 

“ It  must  be  done,”  was  the  reply  of  the  French  com- 
mission. 

“ Who  can  tell  where  it  was  situated  ? How  can  it  be 


358 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


identified  ? There  have  been  great  commotions,  — a great 
many  changes  since  then.  We  cannot  find  it,”  said  the 
ministers. 

“ Of  course  there  may  be  some  difficulty ; but  if  the 
Fathers  of  the  church  can  identify  the  property,  your 
Highnesses  will  restore  it  ? ” said  the  bland  commissioners. 

“ 0 yes ; if  they  can  show  that  it  was  once  owned  by 
the  church,”  was  the  reply ; and  the  article  went  into  the 
treaty. 

Ji.  few  months  later  the  “ Fathers  ” appeared  at  Pekin 
with  a great  bundle  of  title-deeds  and  documents,  yel- 
lowed by  time,  and  mouldy  from  their  long  repose  in  the 
archives  of  the  Propaganda  at  Rome  ! 

The  emperor’s  ministers  were  confounded,  but  there 
was  no  help  for  it ; and  so  the  church  to-day  is  in  pos- 
session of  immense  estates  in  nearly  every  city  of  the 
empire. 

In  Shanghae  there  are  long  ranges  of  buildings  in  the 
heart  of  the  city  which  have  been  restored  under  that 
article  of  the  treaty.  The  income  from  these  estates  is 
very  large. 

The  difference  in  ceremony  between  the  religion  of  the 
Chinese  and  that  of  the  Catholic  Church  is  so  slight  that 
the  Roman  Church  finds  it  easy  to  make  converts.  In- 
cense, candles,  and  lamps  are  always  burning  before  the 
idols  of  the  temples,  just  as  before  the  altars  of  Rome. 
The  priests  appear  in  yellow  robes,  recite  prayers  in  con- 
cert, or  responsively,  with  such  intonations  as  are  heard 
in  St.  Peter’s. 

Paper  flowers  adorn  the  altars,  and  there  is  bowing, 
kneeling,  passing  from  the  left  to  the  right,  from  right  to 
left,  as  in  the  Catholic  ceremonial. 

A Chinaman  entering  a Protestant  church  sees  no 
images  or  pictures,  and  he  comes  to  the  conclusion  that 
the  Protestants  are  altogether  godless ; but  he  enters 


ROMANISM  IN  CHINA. 


359 


a Jesuit  church  and  sees  a better  class  of  images  than 
those  he  is  accustomed  to  worship,  and  pictures  more 
beautiful  than  those  upon  the  walls  of  his  own  temples. 
Eomish  priests  are  more  gorgeously  arrayed  than  those 
who  minister  at  the  altar  of  Buddha,  and  he  inhales 
sweeter  incense  than  that  ascending  from  joss-sticks.  The 
music  of  the  choir  and  the  deep-toned  organ  is  more 
pleasing  than  the  rub-a-dub  of  drums.  Is  it  any  wonder 
that  the  churches  are  thronged  at  morning  mass  or  at 
the  hour  for  vespers  ? 

A gentleman  at  Slianghae,  who  speaks  the  language, 
has  travelled  through  several  of  the  provinces  dressed 
as  a Chinaman,  and  has  had  excellent  opportunities  for 
observation,  says,  “ Of  the  missionary  effort  put  forth  in 
China,  at  least  ninety  per  cent  is  by  the  Catholics.” 

The  French  minister  has  been  pressing  the  Imperial 
government  in  another  direction.  He  has  obtained  a 
decree  permitting  the  priests  to  decide  all  questions  of 
law  between  Chinese  Catholics  and  those  who  still  adhere 
to  the  Chinese  religion.  Secretly  and  persistently  Borne 
is  laboring  to  obtain  possession  of  China. 

In  1846  there  were  twelve  bishops,  seven  coadjutors, 
eighty  foreign  Jesuit  missionaries,  and  ninety  native  priests 
employed.  The  number  of  converts  at  that  time  was  not 
far  from  four  hundred  thousand.  It  is  estimated  there 
are  now  more  than  seven  hundred  thousand. 

They  are  baptized,  required  to  attend  mass  and  the 
confessional,  and  contribute  to  spread  the  gospel.  They 
must  abjure  all  their  old  idols,  but  may  worship  Mary 
and  the  Saints. 

The  converts  are  supplied  with  saintly  charms.  These 
are  worn  about  their  persons,  and  have  power  to  protect 
them  from  dragons.  Superstition,  old  beliefs,  and  cere- 
monials are  so  artfully  interwoven  with  the  superior  at- 
tractions of  the  new^  religion,  that  there  are  multitudes 


360 


OUE  NEW  WAY  BOUND  THE  WORLD. 


ready  to  accept  it.  Protestants  must  be  prepared  to  see 
a rapid  development  of  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  in 
this  quarter  of  the  globe. 

The  Protestant  religion  has  made  slow  progress,  and  we 
do  not  wonder  at  it.  The  first  effort  towards  introducing 
it  was  made  by  Dr.  Morrison  in  1807.  He  had  first  to 
acquire  the  language,  then  translate  the  Bible,  which, 
when  translated,  is  not  easy  of  comprehension  by  the 
Chinese.  Christian  ideas  cannot  well  be  conveyed  by 
the  Chinese  language,  for  want  of  proper  terms,  and  a 
great  portion  of  Biblical  history  is  incomprehensible, 
because  of  its  allusions  to  rites,  ceremonies,  and  customs 
with  which  they  are  unacquainted.  The  opening  of 
Mark’s  Gospel,  in  our  translation,  is  as  follows  : — 

“The  beginning  of  the  Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son 
of  God.” 

“ This,”  says  Mr.  Nevius,  “ seems  perfectly  simple  to 
us,  and  it  may  appear  strange  to  some  that  any  difficulty 
can  be  found  in  it ; but  almost  every  word  is  an  enigma 
to  a Chinaman.  According  to  the  Chinese  idiom  the 
translation  runs  thus  : — 

“ ‘ God’s  Son  Jesus  Christ  Gospel  beginning.’ 

“ The  word  ‘ God  ’ suggests  a thousand  deities,  supernal 
and  infernal,  but  certainly  not  the  God  of  the  Bible.  . . . 
The  names  of  our  Saviour,  Jesus  Christ,  are  translated 
by  Chinese  characters  resembling,  as  nearly  as  possible, 
the  sounds  of  the  original,  and  representing  simply  for- 
eign names  without  meaning  or  associations.  ‘ Gospel  ’ 
is  translated  by  two  characters  meaning  respectively 
‘ happiness  ’ and  ‘ sound,’  but  the  combination  is  a new 
and  peculiar  one,  and  it  would  be  difficult  for  the  unin- 
structed reader  to  tell  with  certainty  its  meaning.  The 
last  word,  * beginning,’  which  is  evidently  connected  with 
the  two  preceding  it,  forming  the  expression  ‘ happiness, 
sound,  beginning,’  affords  no  assistance  towards  making 


ROMANISM  IN  CHINA. 


361 


it  intelligible.  Each  of  the  following  verses,  looked  at 
from  the  Chinese  stand-point,  presents  similar  difficulties, 
and  is  liable  to  some  other  misconception.” 

A foreigner,  attempting  to  acquire  the  Chinese  lan- 
guage, and  discouraged  by  his  futile  efforts,  declared  that 
it  must  have  been  invented  by  the  Devil.  It  is  abstract, 
hard,  uncouth.  Years  of  constant  practice  are  required 
to  enable  one  to  comprehend  it.  To  translate  the  Bible, 
and  make  it  intelligible  to  the  natives,  was  a difficulty 
which  had  to  be  surmounted  at  the  outset. 

Morrison  labored  seven  years  before  he  found  a con- 
vert, and  the  first  church  was  not  gathered  till  twenty- 
eight  years  after  he  commenced  teaching.  Then  came 
the  opium  war.  The  forcing  of  the  drug  upon  the  empire 
by  a nation  calling  itself  Christian  prejudiced  the  people 
against  the  new  religion.  Foreign  shipmasters  and  mer- 
chants were  supposed  to  be  Christians,  but  their  morality 
often  was  of  a lower  grade  than  that  taught  by  Confucius. 
Their  deportment  did  not  commend  Christianity.  Not- 
withstanding all  this,  the  progress  made  by  the  Protestant 
missionaries  has  been  quite  rapid  during  the  last  few 
years. 

The  number  of  missionaries  in  China  in  1865  was  one 
hundred  and  eighty-seven.  Of  these  ninety-two  were 
American,  seventy-eight  English,  and  seventeen  German. 
The  present  number  of  native  church-members  is  not  far 
from  three  thousand.  About  two  hundred  native  preach- 
ers and  teachers  are  employed.  No  theological  school 
has  yet  been  established  for  the  training  of  preachers, 
and  the  native  helpers  have  no  commentaries  or  other 
books  to  enable  them  to  explain  the  Bible.  But  the 
Chinese  are  a reading  people,  and  the  leaves  of  Scripture 
scattered  here  and  there  are  read  till  worn  out. 

Protestantism  as  yet  has  only  obtained  a foothold.  Its 
success  lies  all  in  the  future. 

16 


362 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


A 


UP  THE  YANGTSE. 


363 


CHAPTER  XLYI. 


UP  THE  YANGTSE. 


HE  Yangtse-kiang  is  one  of  the  largest  rivers  of  the 


globe,  surpassed  in  grandeur  only  by  the  Amazon 
and  Mississippi.  Some  geographers  have  placed  it  fourth 
on  the  list,  giving  the  third  place  to  the  Nile,  hut  the 
flood  poured  out  by  the  Yangtse  is  far  greater  than  that 
which  flows  from  the  plateau  of  Central  Africa  into  the 
Mediterranean.  Its  source  is  three  thousand  miles  dis- 
tant from  the  ocean,  among  the  mountains  of  Thibet. 

That  region  has  not  yet  been  reached  by  explorers,  and 
it  lies  temptingly  before  the  geographer,  naturalist,  and 
traveller.  It  is  almost  the  only  portion  of  the  globe 
which  has  not  been  traversed  by  scientific  men.  The 
river  is  navigable  for  ships  of  the  largest  size  to  Hankow, 
a distance  of  nearly  six  hundred  miles.  Sea-going  steam- 
ers can  ascend  about  eleven  hundred  miles,  while  light- 
draft,  flat-bottomed  river  steamers,  it  is  believed,  can 
ascend  to  the  very  base  of  the  Himalayas. 

It  is  the  great  artery  of  the  empire  and  its  grand  high- 
way of  commerce.  Like  all  rivers  which  flow  through 
countries  where  the  rain-fall  is  large,  it  is  subject  to  great 
changes.  The  water  begins  to  rise  in  March  and  attains 
its  highest  level  in  July,  when,  like  the  Mississippi,  it 
submerges  the  lowlands.  Frequently  there  is  great  de- 
struction of  property,  but  the  annual  inundation  has  its 
compensating  features  in  the  fertilizing-  deposits  left  be- 
hind when  .the  waters  recede. 

This  mighty  stream  is  to  be  in  the  future,  far  more 
than  now,  an  avenue  for  foreign  trade.  Great  cities  stand 


364 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


upon  its  banks.  The  mercantile  marine  afloat  upon  these 
waters  transports  the  merchandise  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  millions  of  people. 

The  English  were  first  here  with  heavy  sea-going  steam- 
ers drawing  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  of  water ; but  enter- 
prising Americans  brought  out  such  boats  as  navigate  the 
Hudson,  and  by  their  superior  speed,  carrying  capacity, 
and  economy  have  driven  the  English  from  the  river. 

At  four  o’clock  in  the  morning,  while  the  dawn  is  light- 
ing the  eastern  horizon,  the  Kiang  Loon,  “the  River 
Dragon,”  swings  from  its  moorings,  and  we  go  down  the 
Wusung  with  the  tide,  wheel  into  the  broad  estuary  of 
the  Yangtse,  bound  for  the  heart  of  China. 

The  commander,  Captain  Friend  of  Gloucester,  Mass., 
has  been  navigating  the  stream  so  long  that  he  is  as 
familiar  with  its  windings,  eddies,  currents,  sand-bars, 
and  mud-banks  as  a Cape  Cod  skipper  with  his  own 
coast. 

Our  destination  is  Hankow,  and  we  have  one  hundred 
and  fifty  miles  to  make  before  reaching  the  most  northern 
bend.  Running  at  times  close  in  shore,  we  see  creeks, 
inlets,  and  canals  leading  through  the  green  meadows  in 
all  directions.  We  might  sail  hundreds  of  miles  through 
this  delta,  finding  canals  and  water-ways  as  numerous 
and  intricate  as  the  highways  and  byways  of  the  country 
towns  of  New  England.  There  are  numerous  lakes,  larger 
than  Winnipisaukee  or  Champlain,  or  those  of  Central 
New  York,  navigable  for  steamers  as  capacious  as  those 
which  ply  on  the  Ohio  River. 

Fishermen  are  watching  their  nets  along  the  banks. 
They  do  not  like  the  steamers  of  the  foreigners,  for  they 
believe  that  the  fish  are  frightened  from  their  old  haunts 
by  the  plashing  of  the  paddles. 

We  meet  the  Plymouth  Rock,  bound  for  Shanghae, 
loaded  to  the  water’s  edge  with  twenty  thousand  chests 


UP  THE  YANGTSE. 


365 


of  tea  ; but  there  is  little  to  attract  attention  till  we  are 
seventy-five  miles  on  our  way.  The  first  place  of  any 
importance  is  Kiang  Yang,  a large  walled  town,  pictu- 
resque with  its  ancient  fortifications,  temples,  and  a 
seven-storied  pagoda,  that  was  reared  centuries  ago. 
Shrubs  and  grasses  are  growing  in  the  crevices  of  the 
crumbling  stone.  The  city  lies  along  the  river-bank, 
with  suburbs  extending  to  a range  of  green  hills  in  the 
distance.  The  whitewashed  cottages  and  temples,  the 
yellow  flags  floating  from  tall  staffs  illuminated  with 
dragons,  the  inlets  and  creeks  filled  with  junks  and 
smaller  boats,  with  blue  mountains  far  away  in  the 
north,  make  up  the  strange  but  pleasing  picture. 

Farther  on  we  behold  a range  of  mountains  looming  in 
the  south,  but  lowering  to  cliffs  along  the  river.  On 
their  summits  are  tall  pagodas,  that  were  reared  by 
wealthy  men  of  ancient  times  as  holy  places,  or  as 
memorials  of  their  benevolence. 

Founding  a bluff,  we  sweep  on  toward  the  southwest, 
passing  towns  where  crowds  of  people  in  blue  blouses 
and  broad-brimmed  hats  stare  at  us  from  the  doors  of 
their  houses  and  the  decks  of  their  junks.  There  are 
no  mansions  and  church  edifices,  — features  such  as  lend 
a .charm  to  an  American  or  European  landscape,  — but 
small  houses  with  tiled  roofs,  standing  on  narrow,  dirty 
streets. 

The  broad  plains  and  verdant  meadows,  the  fields, 
hedgerows,  clustered  trees,  cottages  half  hid  beneath  the 
foliage,  blue  smoke  curling  upward,  people  in  the  fields, 
present  a picturesque  scene ; but  in  China,  as  well  as  in 
other  lands,  “ distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  view.” 

We  have  already  learned  that  poverty  and  degradation 
is  the  lot  of  a large  portion  of  the  Chinese. 

The  first  stopping-place  for  our  steamer  is  at  Ching 
Kiang,  a large  walled  town  on  the  southern  bank.  Below 


366 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


it  is  the  rock  Ts’ioo,  which  rises  abruptly  four  hundred 
feet  above  the  stream.  Its  sides  are  clothed  with  foliage, 
and  its  summit  crowned  with  Buddhist  temples. 

The  city  of  Ching  Kiang  occupies  an  important  point  on 
the  river.  Its  name  signifies  “ Biver  Guard,”  and  it  com- 
mands the  Yangtse  and  the  grand  canal. 

About  one  hundred  miles  south  of  Shanghae  is  the 
great  city  of  Hang-chow,  on  a large  stream  which  comes 
down  from  the  hills  of  the  eastern  provinces.  At  that 
city  the  canal  commences.  It  runs  across  the  meadows 
in  a northwesterly  direction  to  Soochow,  a city  about 
seventy  miles  west  of  Shanghae,  and  thence  to  this  city, 
connecting  with  the  Yangtse. 

There  are  no  obstacles  north  of  the  river,  and  so  the 
imperial  water-way  — this  noble  work  of  the  ancients 
— reaches  a hundred  miles  farther  to  the  Hoang-ho  or 
Yellow  Biver,  and  thence  continues  to  Pekin.  We 
have  said  that  it  goes  to  the  Yellow  Biver,  but  it  is  a 
statement  which  needs  to  be  explained.  The  Hoang-ho 
is  a capricious  stream.  Formerly  it  emptied  into  the 
Yellow  Sea,  but  recent  explorations  show  that  by  far 
the  largest  volume  of  water  runs  north  into  the  Gulf  of 
Pecheli.  This  statement  is  confirmed  by  Bev.  Dr.  Martin, 
now  at  the  head  of  the  Pekin  University,  who  has  trav- 
elled extensively  over  Northern  China. 

We  might  step  on  board  one  of  these  river  boats, 
spread  the  lateen-sails,  turn  up  the  canal,  at  the  north- 
ern bend  of  the  Yangtse,  and  come  out  at  Pekin,  or  at 
any  one  of  the  fifty  outlets  along  the  coast,  or,  gaining 
the  main  channel  of  the  Yellow  Biver,  work  our  way 
one  thousand  miles  due  west  from  the  sea,  then,  turning 
north  four  hundred  miles,  pass  the  great  wall,  enter  Mon- 
golia, sail  three  or  four  hundred  miles  in  that  country, 
re-enter  China,  and  traverse  the  northwest  provinces  of 
the  empire. 


UP  THE  YANGTSE. 


367 


As  yet  nothing  is  known  as  to  the  practicability  of 
navigating  these  northern  streams  by  steam,  but  here  are 
junks  loaded  with  salt  for  the  Manchus  of  Tartary,  also 
boats  hound  for  Pekin.  During  the  war  between  the 
Allies  and  China  the  city  of  Ching  Kiang  was  taken  by 
the  naval  forces,  and  the  whole  northern  provinces  felt 
the  blow  at  once,  for  it  stopped  all  trade  between  the 
north  and  south. 

It  was  this  which  probably  did  more  than  anything 
else  towards  bringing  the  Chinese  government  to  accept 
the  terms  of  the  English. 

The  town  of  Kwa-chow,  on  the  nQrthern  hank  opposite 
Ching  Kiang,  is  a great  salt  port.  Foreign  vessels  are  not 
allowed  to  transport  the  article,  and  the  trade  is  wholly 
in  the  hands  of  the  government,  which  derives  a large 
revenue  from  the  custom  receipts.  The  salt  trade  at  this 
port  gives  employment  to  eighteen  hundred  junks,  manned 
by  thirty  thousand  sailors. 

A portion  of  the  people  are  averse  to  any  further 
opening  of  the  interior  waters  to  foreign  steamers,  which 
are  prohibited  from  towing  native  boats.  When  the 
current  is  strong  it  takes  a junk  six  weeks  to  run  from 
this  point  to  Hankow,  a distance  of  four  hundred  and 
fifty  miles,  though  it  is  easily  accomplished  by  steamer 
in  two  days.  The  complaint  is  that  the  introduction  of 
American  boats  has  already  deprived  twenty-five  thou- 
sand men  of  employment.  Notwithstanding  this  hostility, 
the  native  merchants  and  speculators  always  travel  by 
steamer.  The  Kiang  Loon  is  crowded  with  them. 

The  crop  of  tea  for  the  year  is  just  coming  to  market, 
and  the  dealers  are  as  lively  as  any  class  of  merchants  in 
America.  They  have  an  immense  amount  of  treasure  on 
board,  — Spanish  dollars  and  Sycee  silver  ingots,  in  the 
shape  of  a woman’s  shoe,  besides  about  seventy  tons  of 
copper  cash! 


368 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Bills  of  exchange  are  coming  into  use  among  the  lead- 
ing traders  of  the  seaboard  cities,  but  those  in  the  interior 
prefer  specie. 

When  Ching  Kiang  was  made  a trading  port,  it  was 
supposed  it  would  be  one  of  the  most  important  on  the 
river,  but  the  expectations  have  not  been  realized ; other 
ports  higher  up  are  better  commercial  points. 

We  meet  large  rafts  of  timber,  with  houses  upon  them, 
which  have  floated  two  thousand  miles  from  the  western 
provinces.  The  raftsmen,  till  reaching  Hankow,  never 
saw  a steamboat,  and  they  gaze  in  wonder  at  a vessel  roll- 
ing on  wheels  up  stream  twelve  miles  an  hour  ! They 
will  have  marvellous  stories  to  tell  when  they  get  back  to 
their  far-distant  homes. 

Nankin,  or  the  “ Southern  Capital,”  as  its  name  implies, 
was  the  capital  of  the  empire  till  the  Manchu  dynasty, 
in  the  fifteenth  century,  came  into  power,  when  the  seat 
of  government  was  transferred  to  Pekin.  It  was  once  a 
great  city,  adorned  with  imperial  palaces,  famous  for  its 
porcelain  tower,  a picture  of  which  was  to  be  found  in 
all  school  geographies  in  our  boyhood  days,  which,  with 
the  great  Avail,  a mandarin  carried  in  his  sedan,  and  a 
cooly  with  rats  and  puppies  for  pies,  made  up  the  sum 
total  of  our  ideas  about  China.  But  the  pagoda  has  dis- 
appeared, and  Nankin  is  an  insignificant  place  in  com- 
parison with  its  former  greatness.  In  March,  1853,  the 
rebels  captured  the  toAvn,  and  held  it  till  July,  1864. 

It  is  one  hundred  and  ninety-four  miles  west  of  Shang- 
hae,  on  the  south  bank  of  the  river.  The  walls  are  about 
thirty  feet  thick  at  the  base,  and  varying  in  height  from 
fifty  to  sixty  feet.  They  enclose  an  area  of  tAventy-frve 
square  miles.  The  population,  previous  to  the  rebellion, 
was  estimated  at  about  two  millions.  The  famous  pagoda 
stood  -without  the  walls  on  the  southwest  side  of  the  city. 
It  was  destroyed  by  the  rebels. 


UP  THE  YANGTSE. 


369 


Not  only  in  Nankin,  but  along  the  river,  there  are  ruins. 
Residents  here  say  that  the  destruction  of  life  during 
the  war  may  be  estimated  at  twenty-five  millions ! The 
struggle  commenced  in  the  southwest  province  of  Yu- 
nan,  on  the  borders  of  Burmah.  It  spread  to  Canton.  It 
rolled  down  the  valley  of  the  Yangtse  to  Shanghae,  and 
down  the  Yellow  River  to  Pekin.  Every  one  of  the 
great  cities  of  the  interior  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
insurgents.  They  took  possession  of  town  and  country. 
It  was  a struggle  in  which  no  quarter  was  shown  by 
either  party. 

'The  rebels  consumed  all  that  came  in  their  way,  and 
desolation  marked  their  progress'.  Disease  and  famine  fol- 
lowed them.  It  was  a contest  which  lasted  nearly  twenty 
years.  Captain  Friend,  of  this  steamer,  saw  the  final 
victorious  attack  of  the  imperial  troops  upon  the  rebels 
at  this  city,  the  cutting  off  of  heads  on  the  shore,  the 
sinking  of  thousands  in  the  river  as  they  attempted  to 
escape.  There  was  no  mercy  shown.  The  imperial  troops 
were  animated  by  one  desire  only,  — to  loll.  It  was  a 
terrible  harvest  which  was  reaped  on  these  meadows 
during  those  years. 

Nankin  is  not  a port  open  to  foreign  trade,  and  we 
steam  past  it,  stopping  the  wheels  a moment  to  drop  a 
Chinese  passenger  into  a boat  which  puts  out  from  the 
shore  for  that  purpose.  The  tombs  of  the  Ming  dynasty 
are  near  here.  They  were  damaged  by  the  rebels,  and 
are  now  hardly  worth  a visit. 

About  four  hundred  miles  from  Shanghae  we  leave  the 
dead  level  of  the  meadows  and  approach  an  elevated 
region,  a range  of  hills  and  mountains,  which  have  a 
general  direction  from  the  northwest  to  the  southeast. 
We  look  upon  landscapes  of  surpassing  beauty,  — hills, 
green  slopes,  brown  rocks,  and  secluded  glens.  The 
cliffs  are  like  those  of  Cumberland  in  old  Enoland,  and 
16*  x 


370 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


as  green  as  the  hills  of  Vermont.  We  recall  the  words 
of  Coleridge  : — 

“ A green  and  silent  spot  amid  the  hills, 

Small  and  silent  dells  ! O’er  stiller  place 
No  singing  skylark  ever  poised  himself.” 

We  pass  a remarkable  rock,  which  rises  four  hundred 
feet  above  the  stream.  Its  eastern  wall  is  perpendicular, 

and  so  smooth 
-r.  ^ that  a sparrow 

could  scarcely 
" ‘ . find  a resting- 

place.  The  west- 
ern side  is  not 
quite  so  steep. 
The  Buddhist 
monks  have  built 
their  huts,  like 
dove-boxes,  on  a 
shelf  half-way  up 
the  height,  and 
erected  a joss- 
house  upon  the 
summit.  Shrubs 
and  small  trees 
spring  from  the 
crevices  of  the 
rocks.  The  island 
bears  the  name 
of  “ The  Little 
Orphan.” 


LITTLE  ORPHAN  ISLAND. 


Looking  across  a green  fringe  of  meadow  southward, 
we  behold  a beautiful  sheet  of  water,  the  Boyang  Lake. 
The  surrounding  mountains  are  mirrored  in  its  waters. 
Numerous  sails  are  flitting  along  its  pebbly  shores. 
Were  we  to  embark  in  a small  junk,  we  might  sail  up 


UP  THE  YANGTSE.  371 

the  river  which  enters  it  from  the  south,  and  thus  make 
our  way  by  water  half  the  distance  to  Canton. 

As  we  pass  the  outlet  of  the  lake,  we  have  a view  of 
the  calm  waters  reposing  beneath  a cloudless  sky,  reflect- 
ing the  beauties  of  the  surrounding  scenery.  A fortress 
commands  the  narrow  passage  between  the  Yangtse  and 
this  Champlain  of  China,  and  a temple  dedicated  to  the 
god  of  war  rears  its  white  walls  on  the  brow  of  the  hill 
above  the  fortification.  The  priests  have  given  their 
leisure  time,  of  which  they  have  a great  deal,  to  the 
cultivation  of  vegetables  and  flowers  in  the  gardens  at- 
tached to  their  place  of  worship.  In  the  small  ponds 
near  by  they  propagate  fish,  which  find  a ready  market 
at  Kiu-kiang. 

The  lake  is  about  fifty  miles  long  and  fifteen  wide. 
It  is  dotted  with  islands,  green  and  sunny,  and  beautiful 
with  vegetation  peculiar  to  the  clime.  On  this  sweet 
summer  day,  under  a softened  light,  the  view  is  as 
charming  as  any  beneath  Italian  sides. 

A large  amount  of  green  tea  is  produced  in  this  district. 
These  junks  which  we  see  whitening  the  lake,  motionless 
upon  the  calm  waters,  — 

“ As  idle  as  a painted  ship 
Upon  a painted  ocean,”  — 

are  doubtless  loaded  with  tea  for  the  Kiu-kiang  market. 

The  city,  in  its  general  appearance,  is  much  like  those 
already  visited,  — houses  and  shops  of  one  story,  with 
the  usual  accompaniment  of  dirt  and  unsavory  smells, 
sickening  to  us,  but  as  refreshing  to  Chinese  olfactories, 
perhaps,  as  rosemary  or  verbena  to  ours.  In  the  market, 
as  at  Canton,  are  tubs  containing  young  eels,  coops  filled 
with  fowls,  cages  crowded  with  dogs,  which  set  up  a 
furious  barking  as  we  approach.  We  can  bear  it  with 
the  philosophy  of  a stoic,  knowing  that  the  curs  will 
soon  be  at  their  last  bark,  and  that  the  stew-pan  is  their 
destiny. 


372 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


A large  area  inside  the  wTalls  is  covered  with  ruins,  — 
heaps  of  brick  and  broken  tiles,  — the  relics  of  the  re- 
bellion. Escaping  from  the  crowd  of  boys  following  us 
to  get  a look  at  the  foreigners,  we  stroll  through  the  sub- 
urbs, and  reach  the  grounds  belonging  to  the  Eoman 
Catholics,  who  have  a church,  convent,  and  other  build- 
ings. French  priests,  wearing  the  costumes  of  the  Chinese, 
adapting  themselves  to  the  habits  and  customs  of  those 
whom  they  are  seeking  to  convert,  are  moving  about  the 
premises,  superintending  workmen  who  are  hammering 
stone  for  a new  edifice.  They  have  selected  an  excellent 
location,  not  only  with  reference  to  the  city,  but  the  sur- 
rounding country  as  well ; not  only  for  present,  but  for 
future  operations. 

In  coming  years  the  thunder  of  the  locomotive  will  be 
heard  along  this  valley,  connecting  the  southern  sea-coast 
with  the  central  cities  of  the  empire.  The  chief  afflu- 
ents of  the  Yangtse  are  the  Han,  Ming,  and  Lung  on  the 
north,  and  the  Kiang  on  the  south,  and  they  are  the 
avenues  by  which  Western  civilization  will  make  its 
way  to  the  millions  of  people  in  the  interior.  As  a 
great  continental  thoroughfare,  the  Yangtse  is  not  sur- 
passed by  any  river  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  the  Mis- 
sissippi not  excepted.  The  tide  of  trade  and  travel  sets 
directly  across  the  Mississippi,  from  east  to  west.  The 
commerce  of  the  world  is  in  the  same  direction.  This 
mighty  stream  runs  in  the  direction  of  the  universal  trade 
line.  It  is  in  the  great  commercial  zone  that  belts  the 
earth.  These  junks,  freighted  with  tea,  coming  down  the 
Poyang  Lake  one  after  another  like  a covey  of  ducks,  will 
discharge  their  cargo  into  the  river  steamers,  which  in  turn 
will  transport  it  to  Shanghae,  and  thence  by  sailing  vessel 
or  ocean  steamship  it  will  be  taken  along  the  same  lines 
of  latitude  to  San  Francisco,  and,  if  land  carriage  can  be 
made  cheap  enough,  to  Chicago  and  New  York. 


UP  THE  YANGTSE. 


373 


As  yet  modern  civilization  has  barely  obtained  a foot- 
hold in  this  portion  of  the  empire.  Five  ports  are  opened 
to  trade,  and  permission  is  given  to  go  up  to  Hankow 
with  steamers.  Missionaries  may  travel  where  they 
please,  for  they  are  looked  upon  as  inoffensive  persons. 
The' Chinese  government  has  been  wise  enough  to  take 
foreigners  into  its  customs  sendee,  and  to  encourage 
natives  to  acquire  foreign  languages.  It  has  further 
exhibited  its  wisdom  by  appointing  Mr.  Burlingame  an 
envoy  to  Western  nations. 

We  are  gliding  toward  the  heart  of  the  empire,  in  a 
steamer  built  on  the  Hudson,  propelled  by  an  engine 
from  the  hands  of  New  York  machinists.  Our  captain 
is  a clear-headed  Yankee  from  Cape  Ann.  We  are 
brought  face  to  face  with  questions  of  the  future.  What 
part  is  America  to  play  on  this  continent  ? San  Fran- 
cisco is  only  twenty-six  days  distant.  The  Pacific  Bail- 
road  is  opened  and  New  York  is  but  one  month  from 
Shanghae.  What  is  to  be  the  measure  of  the  influence 
of  American  ideas  — political,  social,  moral,  and  religious 
— in  this  land  ? More  important,  — what  influence  is 
China  to  have  upon  America  ? Sixty  to  eighty  thousand 
Chinamen  already  are  in  California  and  Oregon,  and  one 
thousand  Americans,  perhaps,  in  all  China.  The  steamers 
of  the  Pacific  mail  are  crowded  with  Chinamen.  Every 
sailing  ship  bound  to  San  Francisco  carries  a full  com- 
plement of  emigrants.  America  has  thirty-five  million 
inhabitants,  China  four  hundred  millions.  Here,  every 
inch  of  land  is  occupied ; there,  millions  of  acres  are 
waiting  the  coming  of  the  cultivator. 

There  are  merchants  in  China  as  rich  as  the  wealthiest 
men  of  the  United  States.  The  West  is  yet  tributary  to 
the  East.  China  compels  us  to  bring  our  silver  to  her 
coffers.  She  is  powerful  enough  to  keep  the  balance  of 
trade  against  us. 


374 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Is  there  vitality  enough  in  our  country  to  affect  this 
inert  mass  ? Is  there  not  reason  to  fear  that  the  emigra- 
tion of  Chinamen  to  America  will  serve  as  a drag  upon 
our  own  progress  ? Is  there  power  enough  in  the  great 
democratic  mill  to  grind  up  the  odds  and  ends  of  all 
lands,  — to  reduce  Ireland,  Germany,  Norway,  Sweden, 
Denmark,  England,  Scotland,  Italy,  Africa,  Mexico,  and 
China  to  common  pulp  ? These  are  grave  questions  for 
the  consideration  of  the  people  of  the  United  States. 


CHAPTEIi  XL VI I . 

CENTRAL  CHINA. 

AT  Whang-clioo,  a city  on  the  northern  hank,  with 
beautiful  green  hills  behind  it,  we  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  seeing  a Chinese  military  encampment,  which 
is  surrounded  by  a low  earthwork  as  a protection  against 
surprise  from  the  prowling  banditti,  which  still  infest  the 
northern  provinces. 

Although  the  rebellion  is  subdued,  the  rebels  are  not 
all  exterminated.  They  gather  in  bands,  make  a sudden 
raid  upon  a village  or  town,  but  disperse  upon  the  ap- 
proach of  the  slow -moving  troops.  Many  of  the  plun- 
derers, quite  likely,  are  soldiers  discharged  from  the  army. 
When  their  term  of  service  expires  they  are  sent  adrift 
without  'means  of  returning  to  their  distant  homes,  and  it 
is  one  of  the  most  natural  things  in  the  world  that  they 
should  become  plunderers.  The  Pekin  government  is 
too  inert  to  put  down  the  pillaging  of  these  predatory 
bands.  If  caught,  their  heads  are  cut  off ; but  they  are 
seldom  captured.  They  are  the  Ivlu  Klux  of  China. 


CENTRAL  CHINA. 


375 


The  inhabitants  fear  and  tolerate  them  just  as  the  people 
of  Tennessee  and  Texas  bear  with  the  murderous  gangs 
infesting  those  States. 

These  soldiers  who  stand  upon  the  bank  of  the  river 
gazing  at  us,  judging  from  their  appearance,  are  the  rag- 
amuffins of  the  land.  They  wear  round  straw  hats, 
shaped  like  the  tin  colanders  which  are  hanging  up  in 
every  American  kitchen. 

There  is  little  uniformity  of  dress,  but  each  soldier 
wears  his  “chop” — the  number  of  his  regiment — on  his 
breast  and  back.  Viewing  them  from  front  or  rear,  we  see 
a full-orbed  moon  about  a foot  in  diameter,  set  off  with 
red  lettering  like  that  upon  chests  of  tea,  as  if  each 
soldier  was  a bundle  of  merchandise,  packed,  labelled, 
and  ready  for  market. 

Over  the  encampment  wave  several  thousand  red  and 
white  flags.  That  which  waves  over  the  tent  of  the 
general-in-chief  is  large  enough  for  the  mainsail  of  a 
man-of-war,  with  a white  ground,  dark  border,  and  Chi- 
nese characters  in  the  centre  in  black.  There  are  so 
many  flags  that  the  hillside  has  the  appearance  of  a 
flower-garden  blooming  with  roses,  hollyhocks,  poppies, 
bachelors’ -buttons,  and  marigolds.  The  Chinese  can  do 
a vast  deal  of  fighting  with  flags,  gongs,  and  lanterns  ! 

We  are  informed  that  when  the  English  attacked  one 
of  their  towns,  during  the  late  war,  the  besieged  hung 
several  thousand  lanterns  on  the  walls  at  night,  and  kept 
up  a tremendous  beating  of  gongs,  to  let  the  foreign 
devils  know  they  were  wide  awake  and  prepared  for  an 
attack ! 

The  city  of  Hankow  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Han,  one  of  the  largest  tributaries  of  the  Yangtse,  which 
has  its  source  among  the  highlands  in  the  North  Central 
Provinces.  At  this  junction  of  the  two  streams  are  three 
populous  towns,  — Hankow  and  Hanyan  on  the  northern 


376 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


bank,  divided  by  the  Han;  and  on  the  south  bank  Wu- 
chang, one  of  the  chief  literary  cities  of  the  empire. 

The  three  places  are  considered  as  one  under  the  name 
of  Hankow  by  foreigners,  just  as  Brooklyn  and  Jersey 
City  might  be  looked  upon  by  strangers  as  parts  of 
New  York.  The  population  probably  is  nearly  equal 
to  that  of  those  three  cities.  The  lowest  estimate  places 
it  at  more  than  one  million. 

The  course  of  the  Yangtse  is  southwest,  and  as  we  ap- 
proach the  city  the  foreign  settlement  is  seen  at  our  right 
hand.  The  residences  of  the  merchants  are  spacious  and 
lofty,  with  green  blinds  and  wide  verandas,  fronting  a 
grand  esplanade  along  the  river-bank,  which  is  set  out 
with  shade-trees  and  adorned  with  flowers. 

How  striking  the  contrast  between  these  buildings  and 
the  low,  narrow,  mean,  unfloored  houses  and  shops  of  the 
Chinese  quarter  a little  farther  up  stream ! Wherever  we 
turn  our  eyes  we  see  the  old  civilization  confronted  by 
the  new,  — and  there  is  a difference  between  them  of 
three  thousand . years. 

The  river  here  is  a mile  in  width.  It  is  now  rapidly 
rising,  and  in  a few  weeks  the  surrounding  country  will 
be  under  water.  Last  year  the  whole  city  was  inundated. 
In  the  European  quarter  the  people  lived  in  the  second 
story  of  their  houses,  and  navigated  the  streets  in  boats. 
In  the  native  section  everybody  took  to  junks  and  sam- 
pans, having  three  weeks  of  boat  life.  On  both  sides 
of  the  river  there  are  large  shallow  lakes  or  lagoons, 
reaching  miles  away,  so  that  at  this  season  of  the  year 
Hankow  bears  some  resemblance  to  Venice.  The  dif- 
ference between  the  winter  and  summer  level  of  the 
river  at  this  point  is  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet,  which  has 
involved  an  immense  outlay  of  money  on  the  part  of 
foreign  residents  to  obtain  wharfage.  One  can  hardly 
realize  that  in  1861  the  first  foreigner  settled  here,  and 


CENTRAL  CHINA. 


377 


that  all  the  noble  edifices,  the  promenades,  the  ware- 
houses, the  embankment  along  the  river,  the  wall  in  rear 
of  the  city,  have  been  built  since  then.  Looking  at 
what  has  been  done  here,  and  at  Kiu-kiang,  Shanghae, 
Ningpoo,  Foochow,  Hong  Kong,  and  other  river  and  sea- 
coast  towns,  taking  into  consideration  what  has  been  ac- 
complished at  Pekin,  — the  establishing  of  a college,  the 
regulation  of  customs,  and  the  general  policy  of  govern- 
ment, — it  is  not  extravagant  to  say  that  there  has  been 
as  much  progress  during  the  last  seven  years  as  for  fif- 
teen hundred  years  previous.  . 

The  foreigners  here,  at  the  close  of  1861,  numbered 
about  forty ; in  1863  they  had  increased  to  one  hundred 
and  fifty,  but  depression  of  business  and  overtrading  has 
reduced  them  to  about  one  hundred.  These  English, 
Americans,  and  Germans  have  an  excellent  club-room, 
library,  and  athenaeum,  well  supplied  with  papers  and 
magazines ; a volunteer  fire  brigade  and  rifle  corps,  boat- 
club,  ice-club,  for  the  cutting  and  storing  of  ice  in  winter 
for  their  own  consumption,  a race-course,  cricket-ground, 
livery-stable,  and  newspaper ! So  Western  civilization 
plants  itself  in  the  heart  of  China.  The  climate  in  sum- 
mer is  hot  and  dry,  and  far  healthier  than  at  Shanghae. 
While  it  has  these  advantages,  it  is  not  pleasant,  on  the 
other  hand,  to  be  compelled  to  navigate  a sampan  through 
parlors  and  bedrooms  for  one  month  during  the  year. 

Accompanied  by  an  English  gentleman  connected  with 
one  of  the  mercantile  firms,  and  crossing  the  river,  we 
enter  the  suburbs  of  Wu-chang.  Our  path  leads  through 
vegetable  and  flower  gardens,  where  cabbages,  beans, 
garlics,  onions,  celery,  cucumbers,  and  other  plants  are 
in  vigorous  growth.  The  gardens  are  not  laid  out  with 
much  regularity ; nor  are  they  kept  free  from  weeds. 
We  doubt  if  any  people  in  the  "world  can  surpass  the 
Chinese  in  forcing  successive  crops  from  the  same  piece 


378 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


of  ground.  All  fertilizers  are  applied  in  liquid  form. 
In  every  garden  there  are  tanks  filled  with  liquid 
waste,  which  coolies  are  bringing  from  the  city  in  open 
buckets.  Other  laborers  are  applying  it  to  the  growing 
crops.  A walk  of  nearly  two  miles  through  the  main 
street  brings  us  to  the  house  of  Bishop  Williams.  We 
had  the  pleasure  of  meeting  him  in  London,  in  1867, 
while  the  Pan-Anglican  Assembly  of  Bishops  and  Pre- 
lates of  the  Episcopal  Churches  was  in  session.  He 
formerly  resided  in  Japan,  and  has  but  recently  removed 
to  this  city.  It  was  with  difficulty  that  he  could  obtain 
a house  in  Wu-chang.  Being  a literary  city,  where 
students  from  all  the  central  provinces  of  the  empire 
assemble,  the  predominating  influence  has  been  against 
foreigners.  In  past  times  visitors  have  been  jostled  in 
the  streets,  and  householders  are  afraid  to  let  their  prem- 
ises. 

We  find  the  bishop  sick  in  bed,  attended  by  a Chi- 
nese servant.  If  any  one  is  under  the  impression  that 
missionaries  live  in  grand  style,  surrounded  with  all 
the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  life,  we  think  they  would 
take  a different  view  after  seeing  his  premises.  The 
house  is  on  a narrow  street,  where  sickening  odors  per- 
vade the  air.  We  enter  the  front  hall,  which  is  but  a 
shed,  pass  through  a court  and  a succession  of  rooms  with 
stone  floors,  bare  brick  wnlls,  windows  with  oiled  paper 
instead  of  panes  of  glass,  and  find  the  bishop  in  his  bed- 
room. It  is  scantily  furnished,  — two  or  three  chairs, 
a table,  his  narrow  bed,  no  carpet,  no  pictures,  a room 
almost  as  cheerless  as  the  cell  of  a monastery.  It  is  not 
that  the  bishop  is  an  ascetic,  but  this  is  the  best  he  can 
do.  He  has  selected  this  place  as  a favorable  position, 
and  will  soon  be  joined  by  other  missionaries. 

Ascending  an  elevation  in  the  centre  of  the  city,  a wide 
panorama  is  spread  before  us,  — the  river  with  countless 


CENTRAL  CHINA. 


379 


junks  and  sampans ; the  three  cities ; the  suburbs,  vil- 
lages, fields,  gardens ; here  and  there  a pagoda  rear- 
ing its  gray  walls,  and  multitudes  of  people  in  the  streets. 
At  our  feet  is  the  palace,  or  yamun,  of  the  governor-gen- 
eral of  the  two  central  provinces,  a mandarin  of  three 
buttons,  and  ruler  of  from  sixty  to  seventy  millions  of 
people.  The  entrance  to  the  palace  is  marked  by  two  tall 
flag-staffs,  from  which  immense  banners  float  in  the  breeze. 
Upon  the  brick  wall  of  the  outer  court  we  see  the  repre- 
sentation of  a fiery  dragon,  of  proportions  more  astound- 
ing than  the  megatherium  or  ichthyosaurus,  teeth  longer 
and  sharper  than  a crocodile’s,  claws  more  terrible  than 
those  of  a lion,  with  scales  like  a fish,  a tail  like  a ser- 
pent’s, eyes  more  fiery  than  any  hobgoblin’s,  and  flames 
darting  like  lightning  from  his  nostrils.  Pendent  from 
the  eaves  of  the  palace  are  paper  lanterns,  each  the  size 
of  a hogshead.  Squads  of  soldiers,  as  dirty  as  the  coolies 
of  the  streets,  are  lounging  around  the  doors,  playing 
cards.  Upon  the  walls  are  paintings  by  Chinese  artists, 
distinguished  for  gay  colors,  and  an  utter  absence  of  per- 
spective. Such  the  outside  appearance.  There  may  be 
luxurious  apartments  within,  but  probably  throughout 
the  palace  there  is  nothing  which  would  be  called  com- 
fortable by  Americans. 

Passing  a building,  we  hear  the  voices  of  children,  and 
looking  through  the  open  door  see  a room  crowded  with 
urchins,  with  shaven  brows  and  small  pigtails.  They 
are  studying  aloud  at  small  tables.  The  master  sits 
or  half  reclines  on  a bamboo  couch.  He  can  hardly  be 
called  a master,  for  the  boys  do  pretty  much  as  they 
please ; neither  can  he  be  called  a teacher,  for  he  does 
not  profess  to  teach  them : he  only  hears  the  recitation. 
These  pupils  know  nothing  of  geography  or  arithmetic, 
for  Chinese  education  does  not  embrace  that  which  we 
esteem  fundamental. 


380 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


These  pamphlets  which  they  hold  in  their  hands  con- 
tain extracts  from  the  writings  of  Confucius  and  Mencius 
on  morals  and  political  economy.  "When  the  lesson  is 
committed  to  memory,  they  turn  their  backs  to  the  mas- 
ter and  recite  it,  screaming  at  the  top  of  their  voices. 
The  pupils  do  not  comprehend  what  they  are  reciting  any 
more  than  an  American  child  that  has  just  learned  tb 
talk  understands  the  Catechism. 

The  Chinese  consider  the  writings  of  Confucius  as  the 
foundation  of  all  wisdom.  Whatever  is  learned  from 
him  is  good.  The  scholar  will  understand  it  in  after 
life.  A corresponding  method  of  education  in  the  United 
States  would  be  to  throw  aside  all  text-books,  — readers, 
geographies,  grammars,  histories,  and  arithmetics,  — and 
study  the  ceremonial  law,  the  sayings  of  Solomon,  or  the 
chapters  of  hard  names  from  Chronicles  ! 

Writing  is  taught,  and  by  long  practice  the  boys  become 
experts. 

There  are  numerous  primary  schools,  supported  by 
parents  or  public-spirited  men.  Girls  are  not  often  edu- 
cated. Woman  is  of  little  more  account  here  than  in 
India.  She  does  not  need  an  education.  It  is  beyond 
her  sphere.  The  question  as  to  What  her  sphere  may  be 
has  not  yet  been  agitated.  When  it  is  settled  in  our  own 
land,  there  will  be  a wide  -field  in  China  for  philanthropic 
effort. 

Wandering  through  these  streets,  on  this  sultry  day, 
when  the  doors  of  the  houses  are  wide  open  to  admit 
fresh  air,  we  have  an  opportunity  of  seeing  the  women  in 
their  homes.  By  far  the  largest  portion  of  them  toil  from 
morning  till  night.  But  in  a great  literary  city  there  are 
people  of  wealth  and  refinement.  Some  of  the  women 
of  the  higher  classes  would  be  called  good-looking  in 
Western  lands.  The  accompanying  illustration,  from  a 
photograph,  that  has  been  faithfully  reproduced  for  this 


CENTRAL  CHINA. 


381 


volume  by  the  artist,  will  enable  the  reader  to  form  a 
better  conception  of  the  personal  appearance  and  style 


ONE  OF  THE  UPPER  CLASS. 


of  dress  than  pages 
of  description.  It 
•will  be  seen  that 
the  hair  is  worn 
low  in  the  neck, 
which  is  the  pre- 
vailing fashion  in 
some  provinces  at 
the  present  time. 

An  old  salt  un- 
doubtedly would 
call  it  the  “sou’- 
wester style.” 

The  women  of 
China  are  far  above 
those  of  other  East- 
ern nations.  The  wife  of  an  Arab  or  a Hindoo  is  a slave, 
' — a drawer  of  water  and  hewer  of  wood.  Here  they 
sometimes  work  in  the  fields,  but  their  proper  , Sphere  is  in 
the  house  attending  to  domestic  duties.  Wives  seldom 
go  upon  the  street  with  their  husbands.  Sometimes  they 
may  be  seen  together  at  a picnic,  or  at  the  graves  of  their 
ancestors,  but  they  do  not  lock  arms  or  walk  in  company. 
The  husband  will  be  a few  rods  in  advance  or  in  rear 
of  the  ■wife. 

The  women  are  capable  of  strong  affection,  and  we  are 
assured  by  missionaries  that  they  are  faithful  in  keeping 
the  marriage  vow.  There  are  those  who  lead  dissolute 
lives ; but  they,  as  a class,  are  as  susceptible  of  the  claims 
of  virtue  as  those  of  more  enlightened  lands.  Give  them 
an  education,  and  they  will  honor  their  sex. 

Keflecting  upon  their  present  condition,  and  what 
capabilities  are  before  them,  the  Eden  of  the  future 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


seems  far  distant.  Social  customs  and  religious  belief  are 
against  them.  Their  lot  in  life  is  hard,  for  superstition 
has  taught  them  that  they  committed  grievous  sin  in  a 
former  state  of  existence,  and  were  created  women  in  this 
as  a penalty  for  the  crime.  They  lead  a life  of  degra- 
dation here,  and  will  pass  to  another  like  it  in  the  future 
life,  if  not  circumspect  in  this. 

They  are  exhorted  by  the  moral  writers,  and  by  their 
husbands,  to  lead  virtuous  lives,  if  they  would  not  be 
women  in  the  hereafter.  One  of  the  moralists,  in  a book 
upon  the  marriage  relation,  thus  addresses  the  female 
sex : — 

“That  you  have  not  in  this  life  been  bom  a male  is 
owing  to  your  amount  of  wickedness  in  a previoiis  state 
of  existence ; you  did  not  then  desire  to  adorn  virtue  and 
perform  good  actions,  so  that  now  you  have  been  hope- 
lessly born  a poor  female ; and  if  you  do  not  now  amend 
your  faults,  your  wickedness  will  be  greater,  so  that  it  is 
to  be  feared  that,  in  the  next  existence,  if  you  wish  for  a 
male’s  body  it  will  be  difficult  to  obtain  it.” 

It  is  one. of  the  glories  of  the  Christian  religion  that 
it  elevates  woman,  and  one  of  the  brightest  features  of 
the  present  time  that  men  are  coming  into  clearer  per- 
ceptions of  the  claims  of  the  female  sex.  The  day  can- 
not be  far  distant  when  the  wave  of  progress  will  roll 
across  the  Pacific  to  the  shores  of  this  old  land.  Then 
the  millions  of  women  now  degraded  will  rise  to  a higher 
plane  of  existence,  and,  with  enlarged  liberty,  enlightened 
intellect,  a clear  vision,  enjoy  the  benefits  of  modern 
civilization,  and  live  in  the  peaceful  light  of  the  “ Shining 
Cross.” 


COMPETITIVE  EXAMINATION. 


383 


CHAPTER  XLVIII. 

COMPETITIVE  EXAMINATION. 
OMPETITIVE  examination  was  established  about 


the  commencement  of  the  Christian  era.  It  is  the 
foundation  of  the  present  political  system  of  the  empire. 
It  is  democratic  in  principle,  and  deserves  the  attention 
of  statesmen  the  world  over.  Under  it  a person  of  the 
lowest  condition  may  attain  to  the  highest  positions  of 
honor.  There  are  several  classes  who  are  excluded  from 
entering  the  course  of  study,  — play-actors,  prostitutes, 
executioners,  jailers,  and  inferior  servants  waiting  upon 
mandarins.  Their  children  to  the  third  generation  are 
also  excluded.  The  theory  adopted  is  that  these  persons 
and  their  immediate  descendants  are  wanting  in  those 
moral  qualifications  which  are  necessary  in  the  adminis- 
tration of  government.  Persons  who  have  lost  a parent 
cannot  enter  the  course  of  study  till  after  the  expiration 
of  three  years,  inasmuch  as  hard  study  is  inconsistent 
with  due  respect  for  the  dead  during  that  period  of 


In  the  United  States  official  positions  are  obtained 
through  personal  favor,  or  on  political  considerations. 
Beer  and  whiskey  have  influence.  Brothers,  cousins, 
friends,  are  appointed  to  office  by  those  who  have  the 
dispensing  of  patronage.  Tarty  service  demands  pay. 
Merit  and  qualification  are  too  often  the  least  of  con- 
siderations. 

Not  so  in  China.  The  theory  of  the  system  there  is, 
that  all  civil  officers  must  be  literary  graduates.  Three 
degrees  have  been  established.  The  first  may  be  obtained 


time. 


384 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


in  the  Him,  or  district  college ; the  second  in  the  Fu,  or 
provincial  college ; the  third  in  the  Imperial  University 
at  Pekin. 

The  city  of  Wu-chang  being  a provincial  capital  at 
the  centre  of  the  empire,  and  easily  accessible,  has  be- 
come one  of  the  chief  literary  centres.  In  this  respect 
we  may  think  of  it  as  ranking  with  Cambridge  or  Oxford 
in  England,  Harvard  or  Yale  or  Ann  Arbor  in  the  United 
States. 

The  student  having  been  through  the  district  college, 
and  obtaining  a degree  from  the  Chancellor,  comes  to 
Wu-chang  to  enter  the  higher  courses.  Each  student 
is  required,  before  leaving  home,  to  file  a paper  with  the 
local  magistrate  containing  the  name  of  his  father,  grand- 
father, teacher,  and  next-door  neighbor,  stating  also  his 
own  age,  height,  and  complexion.  The  names  of  several 
literary  graduates  are  necessary  as  indorsers  for  his  good 
character,  and  one  of  these  must  be  present  when  he 
enters  the  University. 

Passing  down  one  of  the  streets  we  reach  the  Univer- 
sity buildings,  occupying  a large  area  enclosed  by  a wall 
about  twenty  feet  high,  covered  completely  over  with 
placards  displaying  the  names  of  the  successful  candi- 
dates for  honors  at  the  last  examination.  Entering  the 
enclosure,  we  find  a paved  court  containing  long  ranges 
of  sheds,  with  tiled  roofs,  beneath  which  are  about  ten 
thousand  small  cell-like  apartments  or  alcoves,  three  or 
four  feet  square,  open  in  front,  with  a seat,  and  a board 
which  can  be  placed  against  the  wall,  on  supports,  for 
a table.  These  are  the  students’  quarters,  which  they 
occupy  during  examination. 

A Chinese  university  does  not  have  recitation-hall  or 
dormitory.  It  is  not  a place  at  which  students  spend  four 
years  in  study,  but  simply  a barrack  where  they  con- 
gregate for  a few  days,  — a prison  rather,  for  while  here 


COMPETITIVE  EXAMINATION. 


385 


they  are  shut  in  and  are  not  allowed  any  communication 
with  their  friends. 

In  the  centre  of  the  area  stands  the  “ Temple  of  Perfect 
Justice,”  a building  erected  for  the  convenience  of  the 
examiners,  and  imperial  commissioners,  who  are  sent 
from  Pekin  to  decide  upon  the  literary  merits  of  the 
students,  and  are  sworn  to  render  an  impartial  verdict. 
Spacious  apartments  are  assigned  them,  for  they  are 
accompanied  by  a large  retinue  of  servants. 

The  students  who  come  to  this  city  have  taken  their 
first  degree  in  the  district  college.  It  is  not  Master 
or  Bachelor  of  Arts,  but  the  degree  of  “ Beautiful  Abil- 
ity,” which  means  quite  as  much  in  China  as  that  of 
A.  B.  in  the  United  States,  and  without  it  no  student 
can  compete  for  higher  honors. 

The  examinations  are  held  trienniallv,  and  there  are 
never  less  than  ten  or  twelve  thousand  competitors. 

These  are  great  occasions.  People  from  the  surrounding 
country  come  in  to  see  the  honors  conferred.  Friends 
are  here  to  witness  the  triumph  of  those  most  dear.  The 
city  is  filled  with  strangers.  It  is  a grand  harvest-time 
for  hotel  and  shop  keepers.  Excitement  is  at  fever  heat. 
The  student  who  wins  brings  honor,  not  only  to  himself, 
but  to  his  friends.  He  is  on  the  road  to  fortune,  for 
if  he  passes  examination,  official  position  awaits  him. 
Wealth  is  sure  ; privilege  is  one  of  the  results,  — graduates, 
like  members  of  Congress,  being  exempt  from  arrest,  ex- 
cept for  crime.  High  station  in  life,  favor  of  the  em- 
peror, everything  worth  living  for  as  viewed  from  the 
Chinese  stand-point,  is  involved  in  the  effort. 

Students  bring  bedding  and  food,  as  they  are  required 
to  stay  on  the  premises  several  days  ; servants  and  friends 
accompany  them  to  the  gate,  which  is  guarded  by  sol- 
diers, who  allow  none  but  scholars  to  enter.  When  all 
are  in,  the  gate  is  shut  and  sealed,  and  the  troops  pre- 
17  r 


386 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


vent  all  outsiders  from  approaching  the  wall.  The  stu- 
dents are  allowed  no  hooks,  but  are  supplied  with  paper, 
pen,  and  ink.  The  commissioners  announce  themes  from 
the  “ Four  Books  ” of  the  ancient  classics,  upon  which 
they  are  to  write  three  essays  and  one  poem. 

As  soon  as  the  subjects  are  given  out,  all  hands  apply 
themselves  to  composition.  They  have  no  aid,  can  con- 
sult no ' one,  hut  must  rely  wholly  on  themselves.  Their 
compositions,  when  finished,  are  handed  to  one  class  of 
examiners,  whose  business  is  to  see  that  there  are  no 
great  defects,  and  that  the  rules  have  been  complied 
with.  If  they  pass  this  ordeal  they  are  copied,  so  that 
the  judges  may  not  show  favoritism  by  any  previous 
knowledge  of  the  handwriting  of  the  candidates. 

A jury  of  literary  men  read  the  essays,  which  if  they 
reach  a certain  degree  of  excellence,  receive  a red  mark 
of  approval,  and  are  passed  on  to  the  chief  examiners. 
All  others  are  rejected. 

The  standard  adopted  by  the  final  judges  must  be  very 
high  or  the  scholarship  exceedingly  low,  for  not  more 
than  one  hundred  out  of  the  ten  or  twelve  thousand 
obtain  the  second  degree  of  “Advanced  Men,”  — a pro- 
saic title  in  comparison  with  “ Beautiful  Ability.” 

Great  ovations  await  those  who  win  these  high  honors. 
The  best  orchestras  of  the  empire  are  here  with  fiddles, 
flageolets,  cymbals,  gongs,  and  drums ; cannon  are  fired, 
bonfires  kindled,  lanterns  lighted,  processions  formed, 
feasts  prepared,  songs  sung,  and  the  whole  city  joins  in 
the  grand  jubilee. 

Messengers  convey  the  tidings  to  all  the  surrounding 
country.  This  is  an  election,  and  as  exciting  as  a polit- 
ical contest  in  America.  Each  district  is  interested  in 
the  success  of  its  candidates,  and  so  drums  beat  and 
bonfires  blaze  over  the  entire  province. 

The  name  of  the  student  who  takes  the  first  honor  is 


COMPETITIVE  EXAMINATION. 


387 


placed  highest  on  the  wall,  where  it  may  be  seen  by  the 
excited  multitude. 

The  successful  competitors,  if  they  aspire  to  the  third 
degree,  have  an  allowance  from  the  imperial  treasury  to 
enable  them  to  go  to  Pekin,  where  they  pass  a similar 
examination  in  the  highest  literary  halls.  If  successful 
there,  they  receive  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  and  are 
prepared  to  occupy  high  official  stations. 

A large  number  of  students  reside  here.  Many  who 
failed  this  year  will  apply  themselves  for  three  years,  and 
then  try  again.  Old  men  are  among  the  competitors,  who 
have  been  studying  for  a half-century  without  success. 
Men  eighty  years  of  age  have  died  during  the  trial, 
through  excitement,  while  in  pursuit  of  literary  fame, 
and  the  distinction  and  privileges  which  lie  behind  it. 

The  democratic  principle  in  this  political  system  is 
remarkable,  and  the  theory  of  competitive  examinations 
must  commend  itself  to  all  who  believe  in  a democratic 
form  of  government.  It  has  lasted  nearly  two  thousand 
years,  and  there  must  be  an  element  of  stability  in  a 
system  which  continues  that  period  of  time. 

The  effect  upon  the  community  is  apparent.  In  no 
country  is  literature  held  in  higher  estimation.  Wher- 
ever we  go  we  see  bookstores.  Printing-offices  are  nu- 
merous, — shops  where  men  sit  at  small  tables  with  blocks 
on  which  the  “ word  characters  ” are  engraved. 

It  is  a reading  community.  The  preparation  for  exam- 
ination familiarizes  a large  number  of  men  with  history, 
political  economy,  and  general  literature.  To  be  sure,  it 
is  the  history  of  China,  and  not  of  other  nations  ; but  we 
are  not  to  forget  that  the  authentic  history  of  this  people 
reaches  back  to  the  time  of  Moses,  that  the  “Book  of 
Classics  ” is  as  old  as  the  Pentateuch,  and  the  chief 
text-book  of  political  wisdom  written  by  Confucius  as 
ancient  as  the  prophecy  of  Isaiah. 


388 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Literary  and  political  aspirations  fill  the  students, — the 
desire  for  fame  combined  with  the  hankering  for  office. 

But  notwithstanding  all  this,  the  method  of  choosing 
political  and  military  officers  by  competitive  examination 
gives  a powerful  stimulus  to  literary  pursuits.  Every 
village  has  its  schools,  and  ambitious  young  men,  seeing 
the  possibility  of  attaining  positions  of  honor,  eagerly 
engage  in  study.  Poor  people  deny  themselves  comforts 
that  they  may  educate  their  sons.  Brothers  in  a family 
unite  to  help  on  one  of  their  number,  that  all  may  obtain 
honor.  Virtue  in  this  respect  is  found  in  China  as  well 
as  in  our  own  land. 

Unfortunately,  the  profound  reverence  paid  to  the  Chi- 
nese classics  robs  the  system  of  some  of  its  excellence. 
It  is  now  conducted  as  if  we  were  to  choose  our  officials 
on  their  ability  to  write  an  essay  from  a text  in  the  Book 
of  Genesis,  or  a poem  from  a passage  in  the  Song  of  Solo- 
mon. It  is  an  open  question  whether  that  would  not 
be  quite  as  sensible  a proceeding  as  to  elect  one  who  has 
just  taken  out  naturalization  papers,  and  whose  only 
recommendation  is  that  he  keeps  a liquor-shop,  and  can 
influence  voters  by  supplying  them  with  whiskey  ! 

Lop  off  the  defects  of  the  Chinese  system,  adopt  its 
excellences,  modify  some  of  its  parts,  and  we  shall  have 
the  true  democratic  system  for  official  service.  We  com- 
mend it  to  the  attention  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States. 

The  students  leave  their  studies  to  see  the  foreigners, 
and  we  soon  have  a crowd  at  our  heels.  That  there  is 
something  very  funny  in  our  appearance  is  manifest. 
The  wits  of  the  college  are  saying  their  smart  things,  the 
wags  getting  off  their  best  jokes.  The  play-grounds  of 
Yale  or  Harvard  never  resounded  -with  heartier  laughter, 
and  there  never  was  a more  jolly  crowd  on  the  play- 
ground of  Dartmouth  than  that  around  us.  Some  walk 


COMPETITIVE  EXAMINATION. 


389 


in  front  of  us  to  take  a look  at  our  faces,  while  others 
make  remarks  behind  our  hacks.  The  cut  of  our  coat  is 
outlandish,  no  doubt.  Our  hats  are  queer.  We  are  fit 
subjects  for  caricature. 

They  are  ready  for  a lark,  and  the  older  ones  push  the 
younger  against  us.  We  have  seen  school-boys  at  home 
play  similar  pranks.  But  the  fun  has  been  carried  far 
enough.  It  is  annoying.  We  stop,  look  steadily  at  them 
a moment.  It  will  not  do  to  be  demonstrative ; such  a 
course  will  bring  a shower  of  stones,  and  we  shall  have 
the  worst  of  it  in  a fight.  Cool  nerves,  and  a control 
of  the  muscles,  are  far  better  than  shaking  of  fists,  loud 
words,  or  energetic  action  when  surrounded  by  such  a 
crowd. 

They  stop  their  jests,  become  respectful,  and  allow  us  to 
go  our  way  without  further  molestation.  Children  follow 
us,  dogs  bark,  people  rush  out  of  their  shops  to  see  us,  but 
no  indignity  is  offered,  and  we  roam  at  will  through  the 
town.  The  inhabitants  are  largely  engaged  in  the  manu- 
facture of  chop-sticks,  cords  of  which  are  piled  in  the 
shops,  the  common  ones  of  bamboo,  those  used  by  the 
middle  classes  of  ebony.  The  wealthy  citizens  use  ivory, 
which  comes  mainly  from  Siberia,  brought  overland  from 
Kiactka.  They  are  manufactured  from  bones  and  tusks 
of  fossil  mammoths,  which  lived  when  the  Arctic  region 
had  a tropical  clime.  Far  up  towards  the  north  pole,  in 
the  frozen  ocean,  is  the  Isle  of  Bones,  which  abounds  with 
fossil  ivory. 

“The  Isle  of  Bones,”  says  Figuier,  “has  served  as  a 
quarry  of  this  valuable  material  for  export  to  China  for 
five  hundred  years,  and  it  has  been  exported  to  Europe  for 
more  than  one  hundred,  but  the  supply  from  these  strange 
mines  is  undiminished.”  * 

Ten  thousand  years  ago,  according  to  geologists,  the 
* The  World  before  the  Deluge,  p.  341. 


390 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


elephants  and  mammoths  of  that  region  became  extinct. 
But  their  tusks  are  here,  and  the  Chinese  workmen  are 
sawing  them  up  for  the  benefit  of  the  mandarins  and  the 
fair  ladies  of  this  thickly  peopled  empire. 

Large  quantities  of  cliop-sticks  are  sent  out  from  this 
city  up  the  Yangtse  to  Upper  China,  down  the  stream  to 
Shangliae,  from  thence  to  California  or  the  Sandwich 
Islands,  Australia,  or  wherever  the  Chinese  emigrant  may 
be  found. 

Beturning  to  Hankow,  we  find  an  invitation  awaiting 
us  from  the  governor  of  the  district,  to  visit  him  at  his 
palace.  He  has  learned  through  the  consul,  Mr.  Salter, 
that  an  American  journalist  is  in  the  city,  and  has  sent 
us  his  card,  — a piece  of  red  paper  about  a foot  long  and 
eight  or  ten  inches  wide,  — accompanying  which  is  the 
letter  of  invitation,  abounding  in  flowery  language,  and 
containing  the  following  sentence  : — 

“A  literary  man  travelling  that  he  may  write  with 
spirit  makes  me  think  that  we  are  all  of  one  family. 
I shall  wait  the  arrival  of  the  worthy  gentleman  with 
clean-swept  floors  ! ” 

We  go  in  state,  accompanied  by  the  consul  and  the 
interpreter,  Mr.  Jenkins.  Our  sedan-bearers  are  in  livery. 
The  people  rush  from  their  houses  into  the  street,  to  see 
the  grand  procession  of  sedans  containing  the  foreigners, 
on  their  way  to  the  palace  of  the  highest  official  of  the 
district.  If  the  Chinese  embassy  made  a sensation  in 
this  country,  so  do  we  create  one  on  a small  scale  in  the 
heart  of  China. 

A crowd  attend  us  to  the  outer  court  of  the  yamun, 
where  we  are  received  by  a guard  of  soldiers.  The  great 
doors  are  flung  wide  open,  and  we  descend  from  our 
sedans  in  the  inner  court,  surrounded  by  pictures  of  drag' 
ons  and  warriors  with  drawn  swords. 

Passing  through  a doorway,  we  find  ourselves  face  to 


COMPETITIVE  EXAMINATION. 


391 


face  with  liis  Excellency,  who,  placing  his  fists  together, 
shakes  them  at  us.  Eemembering  that,  when  we  are  in 
Home,  we  are  to  do  as  the  Bomans  do,  we  shake  ours  at 
him.  With  many  a 


shake,  chin  chin, 
and  bow,  we  strive 
to  outdo  each  other 
in  politeness.  If  he 
bows  low,  we  lower ; 
if  he  shakes  gently, 
we  vigorously. 

We  sit  down  to  a 
repast  prepared  and 
waiting  for  us  at  a 
small  table. 

“ How  old  are 
you  ? ” is  his  first 
question. 

This  is  etiquette, 
and  has  been  since 
Joseph  presented 
his  father  to  Pha- 
raoh, yet  the  ques- 
tion might  be  em- 


barrassing to  some  chin  chin. 

of  the  gentle  sex. 

We  know  that  he  is  a grandfather  by  his  mustache, 
but  politeness  requires  us  in  turn  to  ask  his  age.  He  is 
sixty-seven. 

The  first  course  of  the  repast  is  brought  on,  — roasted 
watermelon  seeds ! The  second  is  cherry  cordial,  of 
which  he  is  exceedingly  fond.  Glass  after  glass  is  drained. 
He  drinks  our  health,  the  health  of  the  consul,  and  that 
of  the  interpreter.  Food  in  various  forms,  minced,  pre- 
pared with  rice  and  sugar,  is  placed  before  us. 


392 


OUE  NEW  WAY  EOUND  THE  WORLD. 


Being  at  the  table  of  his  Excellency,  we  eat  what  is  set 
before  ns,  asking  no  questions  for  the  stomach’s  sake. 

Whether  the  animal  which  furnished  the  meat  ever 
harked  or  mewed  we  do  not  care  to  know.  Sweetmeats, 
cups  of  delicious  tea,  more  cordials,  end  the  repast. 

The  governor  has  many  questions  to  ask  in  regard  to 

the  United  States. 
He  has  read  about 
the  war,  and  wishes 
to  know  how  we  are 
getting  on.  He  has 
read  the  letter  re- 
cently written  by 
Governor  - General 
Tseng  to  the  em- 
peror in  regard  to  the 
proposed  revision  of 
the  treaties  between 
China  and  foreign 
nations,  but,  being  a 
diplomat,  expresses 
no  opinion. 

He  is  a well-in- 
formed old  gentle- 
man, with  twinkling 
black  eyes.  He  hopes 
that  we  like  China,  that  we  shall  stay  long.  He  is  sorry 
to  hear  that  we  are  to  leave  Hankow  in  the  morning,  as 
it  will  deprive  him  of  the  great  pleasure  which  he  has 
anticipated  of  returning  our  visit. 

We  chin  chin  once  more,  shake  our  fists  again,  how 
profoundly,  and  then  his  Excellency  of  the  “ clean-swept 
floors, ” to  show  his  great  respect  for  us,  takes  hold  of  our 
fists  and  shakes  them  for  us. 

So  we  take  our  departure,  and  return  through  the 
streets,  followed  by  a wondering  crowd. 


THE  GOVERNOR. 


CULTIVATION  ' OF  TEA- 


393 


CHAPTER  XLIX. 

CULTIVATION  OF  TEA. 

HE  position  of  Hankow  being  in  the  vicinity  of  the 


tea  region,  the  facilities  afforded  for  transportation 
has  made  it  an  important  place  for  trade.  About  forty 
million  pounds  of  tea  per  annum  are  sent  down  the  river 
from  this  place  for  export. 

Tea-drinking  is  so  general  among  Americans  that  a 
brief  description  of  the  plant,  its  cultivation,  and  the  prep- 
aration of  the  leaves  for  market,  will  be  of  interest. 

That  cannot  be  accounted  a small  matter  which  affects, 
in  any  measure,  the  happiness  of  thirty  million  people 
three  hundred  and  sixty-five  times  a year.  So  important 
is  the  beverage  we  obtain  by  decocting  this  herb,  that  it 
has  become  a universal  synonyme  for  an  entire  repast. 

“ Please  take  tea  with  us,”  is  not  simply  an  invitation 
to  slake  our  thirst,  but  to  partake  in  full  measure  of  all 
the  viands  of  the  evening  meal. 

The  charming  home  picture  so  skilfully  drawn  by  one 
of  England’s  sweetest  poets  when  he  wrote. 


The  drooping  watcher,  the  tired  housekeeper,  the  brain- 
taxed  editor,  and  the  weary  hod-carrier,  all  turn  to  tea  for 
solace  ; nor  do  they  seek  in  vain. 

It  is  a disputed  question  whether  there  is  any  nutri- 
ment in  tea,  but  experience  goes  to  show  that  there  is 


“ Now  stir  the  fire  and  wheel  the  sofa  round,” 


would  not  have  been  perfect  had  he  left  out, 

“ The  bubbling  and  loud  hissing  urn, 
And  cups  that  cheer,  but  not  inebriate.” 


17* 


394 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


cheer  at  any  rate,  and  if  taken  in  moderation  no  evil 
results  follow. 

Dr.  Draper  says  of  tea : “ It  is  a mild  stimulant  to  the 
skin  and  kidneys,  prevents  sleepiness,  counteracts  the 
effects  of  alcohol,  and  reduces  the  rate  of  waste  of  the 
tissues ; an  action  supposed  to  be  due  to  the  theine,  or 
peculiar  principle  of  the  plant,  the  quantity  of  which 
is  variously  estimated  from  one  half  of  one  to  four  per 
cent.” 

To  an  American  tea  has  an  interest  aside  from  its 
social  or  stimulating  or  nutritive  qualities,  for  indirectly 
it  helped  us  gain  our  independence. 

“ The  tea  perhaps  was  very  good 
Bohea,  Souschong,  Young  Hyson  ; 

But  drinking  tea  was  not  the  rage. 

For  duty  made  it  pizen.” 

Among  the  exciting  causes  that  resulted  in  the  war  of 
the  Devolution,  and  independence  of  America,  tea  held  a 
very  prominent  place. 

Events  trivial  in  themselves  sometimes  exert  a control- 
ling influence  upon  the  destiny,  not  of  individuals  merely, 
but  of  cities  and  nations.  If  Dome  was  saved  from  sur- 
prise and  capture  by  the  clamoring  of  a goose,  so  the 
tax  of  threepence  a pound  upon  tea  had  very  much  to 
do  in  sundering  the  American  Colonies  from  the  British 
crown,  and  starting  them  on  a national  career  of  their 
own. 

Among  the  Chinese  tea  has  long  been  in  common  use. 
An  Arabian  merchant,  Soliman,  who  visited  China  more 
than  a thousand  years  ago,  spoke  of  it  as  the  common 
beverage  of  the  people.  Its  use  in  Europe  appears  to 
have  been  very  limited  till  the  early  part  of  the  seven- 
teenth century.  The  Portuguese  had  held  commercial 
intercourse  with  the  Chinese  long  before  that  time,  and 
had  doubtless  acquired,  to  some  extent,  a relish  for  the 


CULTIVATION  OF  TEA. 


395 


herb  ; but  it  was  almost  unknown  in  Europe  till  after  the 
formation  of  the  Dutch  East  India  Company,  about  the 
close  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  Hollanders,  at  that 
time  a leading  maritime  nation,  imported  a considerable 
quantity  of  the  article,  and  it  slowly  came  into  favor  in 
Great  Britain  and  on  the  Continent. 

In  1660  it  was  so  far  introduced  among  the  English 
people,  that  the  sale  of  it  in  the  saloons  was  seized  upon 
as  a source  of  revenue  to  the  government.  Parliament 
that  year  passed  an  act  imposing  a tax  of  eiglitpence  per 
gallon  on  all  tea  made  and  sold  in  coffee-houses.  The 
drinking  of  tea  must  have  been  a costly  luxury,  since  the 
price  of  it  in  England  then  was  three  guineas  per  pound. 
In  less  than  fifty  years  from  that  time  the  price  had  fallen 
to  about  one  fifth  of  that  sum. 

The  consumption  of  tea  in  the  United  States  amounts 
to  more  than  30,000,000  pounds  per  annum,  or  nearly 
one  pound  for  each  inhabitant. 

Americans  use  an  unduly  large  proportion  of  green 
tea,  but  no  Chinaman  would  think  of  drinking  this  va- 
riety which  we  so  highly  prize,  for  they  know  that  the 
greenness  which  gives  it  such  value  in  our  estimation  is 
not  a natural  condition  of  the  leaf  in  its  dried  state.  It 
is  obtained  by  the  admixture  of  foreign  substances,  and 
poisonous  ones  at  that.  Prussian  blue,  and  other  inju- 
rious substances,  are  used  in  the  preparation  of  green 
tea. 

The  tea  shrub  is  an  evergreen,  and  may  be  propagated 
either  by  seeds  or  slips.  The  illustration  which  we  give 
was  drawn  by  a Chinese  artist,  and  represents  the  young 
plant  just  springing  from  the  ground.  The  hoe  in  the 
hands  of  the  cooly  is  a rude  affair,  — a blade  of  wood 
shod  with  iron,  and  a bamboo  handle. 

In  some  portions  of  the  country  the  hoes  are  wholly 
of  iron,  but  nearly  all  of  the  agricultural  implements  are 


396 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


clumsy  and  ill  adapted  for  use.  It  is  not  to  be -wondered 
at,  for  the  memory  of  the  writer  runs  back  to  the  time 


THE  YOUNG  PLANT. 


when  ploughs  in  New  England  had  wooden  mould-boards 
plated  with  old  ox-slioes  and  bits  of  iron,  when  the 
shovels  were  of  wood  shod  with  iron,  and  the  forks  so 
clumsy  and  unpolished  that  there  was  a great  waste  of 
strength  in  using  them. 


TRANSPLANTING. 


CULTIVATION  OF  TEA. 


397 


When  the  tea-plant  has  attained  a height  of  a foot  or 
more,  it  is  transplanted  into  well-cultivated  fields.  The 
cooly,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  illustration,  uses  a long  knife 
in  opening  the  mellow  soil.  Slips  from  the  main  stalk 
are  taken  off,  set  out  in  treDches,  and  subsequently  trans- 
planted. 

Though  it  sometimes  attains  a growth  that  would  seem 
to  give  it  a right  to  be  ranked  among  trees,  yet  as  culti- 
vated by  the  Chinese  it  is  not  often  more  than  seven  feet 
in  height.  The  root  is  not  unlike  that  of  the  peach,  and 
the  plant  is  very  tenacious  of  life.  It  blossoms  in  the 
winter,  the  flower  resembling  the  wild  rose.  The  seeds 
contain  considerable  oleaginous  matter,  and  a commodity 
called  “tea  oil”  is  extracted  from  them. 

The  shrub  is  hardy  and  thrives  well  on  poor,  gravelly 
soil.  It  is  very  desirable  to  have  a southern  aspect,  since 
sunshine  promotes  the  thrift  of  the  plant,  and  greatly  im- 
proves the  quality  of  the  tea. 

The  leaves  are  gathered  three  times  a year.  The  first 
picking  occurs  early  in  the  spring,  while  the  leaves  are 
young  and  tender.  This  crop  is  mostly  bought  up  by  the 
mandarins  and  wealthy  people.  Yery  little,  if  any,  of  this 
harvest  ever  reaches  America.  The  second  plucking  comes 
several  weeks  later,  and  the  quality  is  inferior. 

The  third  picking  is  in  midsummer,  quality  poorer  still, 
and  it  is  gathered  with  less  care. 

The  tea  is  prepared  for  market  by  roasting,  or  firing,  as 
the  process  is  called.  Iron  pans  are  brought  to  different 
degrees  of  heat  over  charcoal  fires.  The  tea  is  first  sub- 
jected to  a low  degree  of  heat ; when  sufficiently  heated 
it  is  thrown  upon  a mat,  and  the  leaves  are  rolled,  then 
passed  into  the  second  pan,  which  has  a higher  temper- 
ature, then  rolled  again.  Each  process  is  called  “ a firing.” 
The  tea  is  greened  by  the  use  of  turmeric,  Prussian  blue, 
and  gypsum.  The  turmeric  is  applied  at  a low  degree  of 


398 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


lieat,  the  other  coloring  matter  at  a later  stage  and  over 

a hotter  fire. 
The  leaf  at  the 
first  has  quite  a 
brownish  hue, 
but  when  thus 
treated  is  of  a 
bright  green. 

The  tea  used 
for  home  con- 
sumption is  not 
doctored.  The 
Chinese  wonder 
at  the  taste  of 
people  who  live  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe.  They  do  not 
drink  strong  teas.  The  best  article  does  not  greatly  color 
the  water  in  which  it  is  infused ; and  most  foreigners,  if 
they  were  to  judge  of  its  excellence  by  the  eye,  would  pro- 
nounce it  “slops,”  but  tasting  it  would  elicit  a different  opin- 
ion. When  a Chinaman  wishes  to. make  a superb  drink,  he 
selects  the  tender 
leaves  of  a young 
plant.  He  does 
not  boil  them,  but 
pours  boiling  water 
upon  them,  keep- 
ing in  the  aroma  by 
having  a close-fit- 
ting cover  to  the 
pot  or  cup  in  which 
the  tea  is  made. 

In  packing  tea 
one  man  pours  it 
into  the  chest  from 
a basket,  while  an- 


FIRING  TEA. 


PACKING. 


CULTIVATION  OF  TEA. 


399 


other  tramples  it  with  his  bare  feet.  It  is  not  pleasant 
to  think  of  while  you  are  sipping  the  beverage.  But 
peasants  in  France  tread  the  wine-press,  and  if  they  do 
not  defile  the  nectar  good  enough  for  the  gods,  why 
should  we  sicken  at  the  thought  that  a Chinaman’s  heel 
has  pressed  the  tea  into  a chest  ? Perhaps  sugar  would 
not  be  quite  so  toothsome  as  it  is,  if  we  knew  all  about 
the  processes  going  on  in  refineries,  where  men  wear  such 
scant  clothing  that  the  sight  of  them  reminds  us  of  the 
Mermaid  of  the  Rhine, 

“ Vot  had  n’t  got  nodings  on,” 

as  sung  by  Hans  Breitman. 

The  tea  being  packed  into  the  chest,  the  lead  is  sol- 
dered, cover  nailed  down,  paper  pasted  over,  and  the 
“ chop  ” mark  affixed,  matting  sewed  over  all,  and  it  is 
ready  for  shipment. 

All  of  the  English  and  American  tea  firms  have 
tasters,  who  take  samples  of  each  “ chop,”  steep  it,  test  it 
by  taste,  weight,  and  measure,  and  thus  ascertain  its 
quality.  The  tasting-room  of  an  old  established  house 
resembles  a pantry,  china-closet,  and  canned  fruit  shop  all 
in  one.  Samples  of  all  the  teas  purchased  since  the  firm 
commenced  are  preserved  in  the  cans,  which  are  labelled 
with  cost,  quality,  and  year  of  purchase.  On  tasting-day 
fifty  or  one  hundred  samples  are  prepared,  — so  many 
grains  weighed  out,  steeped  so  many  minutes  in  a given 
quantity  of  water,  then  poured  into  small  china  cups, 
tasted.  The  entire  “chop”  or  lot  is  judged  by  the 
sample. 

The  tea  district  is  mainly  south  of  the  Yangtse  River, 
extending  from  the  sea-coast  eight  hundred  miles  ^nland. 
It  thrives  on  the  hills  and  in  the  soil  of  that  region. 
Foochow  on  the  coast,  Ningpo,  Slianghae,  and  Hankow, 
are  the  chief  shipping  ports. 


400 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


In  the  tea-saloons  we  notice  that  all  grounds  are  care- 
fully saved.  Those  in  our  own  cups,  as  well  as  those  in 
the  cups  of  the  natives  who  drink  at  a neighboring  table, 
are  tossed  into  a basket,  which  when  full  is  emptied 
upon  a screen  placed  in  the  sun.  After  drying  awhile 
they  are  “ fired  ” again,  coloring  matter  added,  the  leaves 
re-rolled,  trodden  a second  tune  beneath  the  feet  of  a na- 
tive, repacked  and  sold,  as  good  as  new,  to  do  service  once 
more,  — quite  likely  in  the  United  States  ! 

The  average  cost  of  teas  in  China  is  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  cents  per  pound,  but  duties,  freights,  insurance, 
interest  on  capital,  profits  to  importers  and  middle-men, 
swell  it  to  prices  which  make  it  an  article  of  luxury. 

More  poor  tea  is  drank  in  the  United  States  than  in 
any  other  land.  Russia  imports  the  best.  England 
stands  next,  and  consumes  an  enormous  quantity.  France 
uses  very  little,  and  a small  quantity  is  consumed  on  the 
Continent.  Cheap  wine  and  beer  take  its  place. 

The  value  of  the  export  of  tea  from  China  to  Great 
Britain  and  the  United  States  is  as  follows : — 

To  Great  Britain  in  1867. 

Black  tea  .....  $11,440,000 

Green  tea  . . . . . . 4,061,000 

$15,501,000 

To  United  States. 

Black  tea  . $ 2,007,066 

Green  tea 5,503,000 

$7,510,066 

The  commercial  relations  between  the  United  States 
and  China  do  not  make  a very  flattering  exhibit  for  our- 
selves. The  total  exports  to  the  United  States  in  1866 
were  valued  at  seven  million  eight  hundred  and  twenty- 
three  thousand  dollars,  while  the  value  of  goods  sent  to 


CULTIVATION  OF  TEA. 


401 


China  was  only  two  hundred  and  eighty-nine  thousand  dol- 
lars ! The  balance,  more  than  seven  and  one  half  mil- 
lions, was  paid  in  silver. 

Great  Britain  shows  a different  balance-sheet.  That 
country  exported  to  China  in  1866  produce  amounting  to 
ninety-nine  million  dollars,  and  received  from  China,  for 
herself  and  colonies,  in  produce,  fifty-two  million  one 
hundred  and  eighty-six  thousand  dollars,  and  the  balance 
of  thirty-three  million  four  hundred  and  eighty-nine  thou- 
sand was  in  specie  ! By  forcing  opium  upon  the  Chinese, 
she  is  able  to  carry  on  her  India  government  with  a full 
exchequer,  and  at  the  same  time  make  China  her  debtor 
more  than  thirty-three  millions  per  annum  ! 

America  never  will  compete  with  England  in  selling 
opium  to  the  Chinese,  inasmuch  as  it  cannot  be  raised 
profitably  in  this  country.  We  shall  not  send  whiskey 
across  the  Pacific,  for  they  do  not  crave  it.  If  they  wish 
to  get  intoxicated,  they  can  do  it  much  more  cheaply  by 
drinking  their  own  samshu.  If  we  would  stop  the  out- 
flow of  specie,  we  must  export  more  goods  or  import  less 
tea  and  silk.  But  our  importations,  instead  of  diminish- 
ing, are  on  the  increase.  We  have  a rapid  growth,  and  a 
corresponding  demand  for  tea  and  silk.  China  at  the 
present  time  takes  about  six  million  dollars’  worth  per 
annum  of  cloth,  mainly  gray  cottons. 

The  United  States  might  supply  nearly  the  entire 
amount,  for  the  cottons  are  mostly  coarse  and  can  be 
woven  more  cheaply  in  American  looms  than  anywhere 
else.  A visit  to  a warehouse  in  China  where  American 
and  English  cottons  are  stored  side  by  side  will  enable  us 
to  understand  why  England  successfully  competes  with  us. 

It  is  a long  voyage  from  England  to  this  country. 
Ships  are  four  to  five  months  making  the  passage,  passing 
twice  through  the  tropics.  English  shippers  accordingly 
pay  great  attention  to  the  packing  of  goods.  Every  bale, 


402  OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 

after  being  compressed,  is  bound  with  iron  and  encased  in 
water-proof  wrapping. 

Not  so  the  goods  from  the  United  States,  which  often 
are  mildewed  when  unpacked.  The  result  is  that  Ameri- 
can cottons  are  out  of  favor.  California  flour  and  the 
lumber  of  Oregon  have  found  a favorable  market;  but 
unless  the  manufacturers  and  shippers  of  the  United  States 
obtain  possession  of  the  trade  in  cotton  fabrics,  we  shall 
always  be  compelled  to  send  our  silver  to  China. 


CHAPTER  L. 

THE  FUTURE  OF  CHINA. 

CHINA  is  awaking  from  her  long  repose. 

“ I aver,”  says  Mr.  Burlingame,  “ that  there  is  no 
spot  on  this  earth  where  there  has  been  greater  progress 
made  within  the  past  four  years  than  in  the  Empire  of 
China.  She  has  extended  her  business  and  reformed  her 
revenue  system ; she  is  changing  her  naval  and  military 
organizations,  and  is  establishing  a great  school  where 
modern  science  and  the  foreign  languages,  are  taught. 
She  has  done  this  under  very  adverse  circumstances. 
She  has  done  this  after  a great  war  lasting  through 
thirteen  years,  — a war  out  of  which  she  comes  with 
no  national  debt.”  * 

The  University  which  has  been  established  at  Pekin  is 
for  the  education  of  Chinese  scholars  in  the  modern 
sciences  and  languages.  It  was  founded  through  the 
influence  of  Prince  Kung,  the  emperor’s  uncle,  and  the 
most  influential  man  in  the  empire. 


* Speech  in  New  York,  June  28,  1868. 


THE  FUTURE  OF  CHINA. 


403 


Eev.  Dr.  Martin,  a native  of  Indiana,  for  eighteen 
years  a missionary,  has  been  appointed  President.  Eng- 
lish, French,  and  German  are  taught  by  competent  profes- 
sors. 

Fifty-six  students  are  under  training  for  official  posi- 
tions. Ninety  were  sent  last  year  from  the  district 
colleges,  having  been  selected  by  competitive  examina- 
tion, of  whom  twenty-seven  were  found  qualified  for 
admission  to  the  University. 

The  mandarins  do  not  all  look  with  favor  upon  this 
enterprise.  They  know  that  knowledge  is  power,  and 
ignorance  weakness ; that  if  learned  men  come  up,  igno- 
rant men,  though  they  may  wear  three  buttons,  in  time 
will  have  to  go  down.  Here  and  there  a mandarin  is 
found  ready  to  uphold  the  government  in  its  new  pro- 
gressive policy. 

Not  long  since  a book  appeared,  written  by  a high 
official,  upon  the  course  of  the  government  in  granting 
concessions  to  foreigners,  and  the  influence  of  missiona- 
ries. The  following  literal  translation  of  a single  sen- 
tence shows  the  largeness  and  liberality  of  his  views. 
He  says : — 

“ The  advantages  resulting  from  commercial  inter- 
course are  not  sufficient  to  compensate  its  attendant 
evils,  but  the  benefits  resulting  from  the  enlightening 
influences  of  missionary  teaching  are  more  than  can  be 
enumerated.” 

That  the  missionaries  are  held  in  high  esteem  is  shown 
by  the  positions  they  occupy.  Dr.  Martin  is  at  the  head 
of  the  'University.  Dr.  Williams  is  connected  with  the 
United  States  legation  at  Pekin,  and  Mr.  Burlingame 
would  have  found  his  diplomatic  duties  much  more  ardu- 
ous than  they  were  had  it  not  been  for  the  thorough 
acquaintance  of  this  gentleman  with  China  and  her  insti- 
tutions. Eev.  Mr.  Yates  is  interpreter  to  the  Municipal 


.404 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Council  at  Shanghae,  and  Dr.  Jenkins  to  the  United 
States  consul.  Dr.  Jenkins  lias  a son  who  is  interpre- 
ter at  Hankow.  At  Canton  Dr.  Owens  is  translator  to 
the  consulate.  Were  it  not  for  the  missionaries,  the 
ministers  and  consuls  would  find  it  difficult  to  get 
on  with  their  business.  The  governmental  language  is 
the  mandarin  dialect,  wholly  distinct  from  the  provin- 
cial. The  common  people  and  the  mercantile  commu- 
nity know  nothing  of  the  mandarin,  speaking  only  the 
dialect  of  their  several  provinces : hence  it  is  that  the 
services  of  the  missionaries  are  indispensable.  The  gov- 
ernment has  felt  the  want  of  competent?  scholars,  and 
has  established  the  University  to  educate  men  for  offi- 
cial positions.  Progress  is  in  the  right  direction,  — 
literary,  scientific,  and  practical.  Dr.  Martin  has  com- 
pleted a new  work  on  natural  science,  — philosophy, 
chemistry,  astronomy,  geology,  well  illustrated  with  draw- 
ings by  Chinese  artists.  In  the  illustrations,  where  the 
artist  is  not  called  upon  to  exercise  his  own  imagination, 
the  execution  is  excellent,  but  in  a few  engravings,  where 
they  have  recourse  to  their  own  ideas,  there  are  amusing 
blunders.  The  book  is  beautifully  printed  by  block- work. 
They  have  not  learned  to  use  types,  though  ten  centuries 
before  Guttenberg  began  to  multiply  books  at  Mayence 
on  the  Rhine,  when  Rome  was  in  her  glory,  even  as  far 
back  as  tfie  age  of  Pericles,  if  we  may  believe  Chinese 
history,  books  were  printed  in  this  country. 

The  establishment  of  the  University  was  resisted  by 
the  reactionaiy  party  of  the  empire.  There  are  men 
here,  as  well  as  in  other  lands,  who  want  things  to 
continue  just  as  they  are.  Is  it  any  wonder  that  the 
Chinese  cling  with  pertinacity  to  the  institutions  of  their 
fathers  ? Like  their  own  great  river,  flowing  from  the 
Himalayas  to  the  sea;  has  been  the  steady,  unbroken  cur- 
rent of  their  history.  What  American  does  not  feel  a 


THE  FUTURE  OF  CHINA. 


405 


glow  of  patriotic  pride  at  the  progress  in  freedom  and 
intelligence,  attained  during  tlie  two  centuries  of  our 
existence  ? We  begin  to  feel  that  we  are  in  the  vigor 
of  national  manhood.  But  we  are  to  measure  our  two 
hundred  years  with  the  four  thousand  of  China.  What 
Englishman  standing  beneath  the  groined  arches  of  West- 
minster, gazing  upon  the  tattered  and  dusty  banners 
above  him,  once  borne  by  departed  kings  of  the  realm, 
does  not  plume  himself  upon  being  a Briton  ? His 
country  has  a history,  a national  life  reaching  hack 
to  the  Heptarchy,  a thousand  years  ! 

Age  is  venerable.  We  take  off  our  hats  in  its  presence. 
We  stand  with  awe  upon  the  forum  of  old  Borne,  and 
bow  with  uncovered  head  upon  the  Bema  of  Athens, 
while  the  procession  of  statesmen,  heroes,  philosophers, 
and  sages  of  ancient  times  passes  by. 

Is  it  surprising  that  the  Chinese,  with  a history  reach- 
ing back  to  the  time  of  Moses,  with  a code  of  laws 
framed  when  Babylon  was  mistress  of  the  world,  feel 
proud  of  their  civilization  ? 

If  tljis  were  a treatise  upon  the  science  of  government 
or  civilization,  instead  of  a book  of  observations,  we 
might  profitably  inquire  how  it  happens  that  China  has 
lived  for  forty  centuries,  while  everywhere  else  national 
life,  like  a plant,  has  had  growth  and  decay  ? Is  it  in 
the  pacific  temper  of  the  people  ? China  never  has  been 
aggressive.  Egypt  waged  war  with  all  her  contempora- 
ries. Sparta,  Athens,  Macedon,  and  the  other  members 
of  the  Grecian  family,  were  ever  quarrelling  among  them- 
selves, or  else  combined  against  the  Persians.  Borne 
trampled  all  nations  beneath  her  feet.  The  governments 
of  modern  Europe  have  ever  been  ready  to  interfere  in 
the  affairs  of  their  neighbors.  But  China  has  remained 
at  home  and  minded  her  own  business.  It  is  not  that 
she  has  been  isolated.  Genghis  Ivhan  found  means  to 


406 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


traverse  the  region  of  Central  Asia  and  pour  his  conquer- 
ing hosts  upon  the  plains  of  India.  Tamerlane  found  no 
obstacle  in  his  westward  march  from  Tartaiy.  There 
were  no  greater  obstacles  in  the  way  of  any  aspiring  and 
ambitious  monarch  of  China,  but  no  one  of  her  emperors 
had  a disposition  to  conquer  other  lands.  They  had  vast 
navies,  and  might  have  invaded  India  by  sea.  There  was 
constant  intercourse  between  the  two  countries  through 
the  early  centuries  of  our  era. 

China  has  always  been  the  chief  commercial  nation  of 
the  East.  She  has  had  myriads  of  people  from  which  to 
raise  armies,  but  has  never  called  them  to  the  field  to 
wage  aggressive  war  upon  a neighboring  state.  In  this 
respect  she  has  been  a Quaker  among  the  nations  ; if  not 
a peacemaker,  hardly  ever  a peace-breaker. 

Undoubtedly  the  pacific  temperament  of  the  people 
has  been  one  cause  of  the  great  duration  of  national  life, 
for  a peaceful  temper  is  conducive  to  longevity. 

Perhaps  a stronger  reason  may  be  found  in  the  demo- 
cratic principle  which  lies  at  the  foundation  of  her  politi- 
cal system.  It  may  seem  a contradiction  to  say,  that  a 
government  with  a monarchical  head  can  have  a demo- 
cratic base.  But  the  Chinese  have  this  political  axiom  : 
“ The  will  of  the  people  is  the  will  of  Heaven,  and 
must  not  be  set  at  naught  by  the  Emperor  the  Son  of 
Heaven.” 

Four  thousand  years  ago  the  emperors  were  chosen  by 
the  nobles,  who,  in  making  their  selection,  took  into  view 
the  virtues  of  the  candidates,  no  less  than  their  talents 
and  rank.  Hence  the  illustrious  Yaou  was  elected  in 
preference  to  an  older  brother,  who  led  a dissolute  life. 
In  succeeding  elections  the  emperor’s  sons  were  passed 
by  and  others  chosen.  But  there  is  a bewitching  charm 
in  royalty,  and  in  time  an  emperor  came  to  the  throne 
who  cared  more  for  the  transmission  of  the  crown  to  his 


THE  FUTUKE  OF  CHINA. 


407 


posterity  than  for  the  rights  of  the  people  or  wishes  of 
the  nobles. 

As  Napoleon,  fascinated  by  power,  turned  a consulate 
into  a monarchy,  so  the  Emperor  Yu  changed  the  Chinese 
government  from  an  elective  to  a hereditary  form.  By 
this  change  the  principal  heir  of  the  emperor  succeeded 
to  the  throne,  while  the  other  members  of  the  royal  family 
were  provided  for  by  making  them  rulers  over  the  dif- 
ferent provinces.  They  became  hereditary  governors, 
and  in  a few  generations  the  feudal  system  was  firmly 
established.  The  power  of  the  central  government  was 
in  some  measure  held  in  check  by  the  feudal  lords,  while 
in  case  of  invasion  all  were  united  in  defence  against  the 
common  foe. 

Perhaps  for  those  rude  ages,  when  life  and  property 
were  insecure,  when  their  northern  neighbors,  more  war- 
like than  themselves,  were  liable  at  any  time  to  lay  waste 
the  country,  the  Chinese  could  not  have  adopted  a gov- 
ernmental policy  more  serviceable  to  them.  At  any  rate, 
this  order  of  things  continued  for  the  greater  part  of 
twenty  centuries.  The  essays,  poems,  and  other  writings 
of  literary  men  of  ancient  times  recognize  this  form  of 
government,  and  discourse  as  fully  upon  the  relations  of 
the  local  governments  to  one  another  and  to  the  im- 
perial authority  as  American  politicians  do  upon  “ State 
rights  ” and  “ Federal  powers.”  Confucius,  in  a beautiful 
simile,  likens  the  imperial  power  to  the  polar  star,  and 
the  principalities  to  constellations  revolving  around  it. 

In  the  year  246  B.  C.,  Lecheng,  a powerful,  ambitious 
noble,  usurped  the  throne  and  proclaimed  himself  ruler, 
under  the  title  of  the  first  Whangte.  He  established 
despotic  rule,  destroyed  the  power  of  the  feudal  lords,  and 
did  what  he  could  to  blot  from  the  memory  of  the  people 
all  recollection  of  the  checks  that  had  formerly  existed  to 
limit  the  imperial  power.  His  maxim  was,  “ Good  gov- 


408  OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 

eminent  is  irreconcilable  with  a multitude  of  masters.” 
He  was  bold  and  bad  ; burned  the  classics  that  he  might 
make  more  secure  the  continuance  of  absolutism ; built 
the  great  bulwark  against  the  Tartars,  which  stands  to 
this  day ; but  the  dynasty  which  he  established  in  usur- 
pation and  blood  was  of  short  duration. 

Some  of  his  successors  encouraged  literature,  but  most 
of  them  sought  their  own  gratification  rather  than  the 
good  of  their  subjects. 

Cruel  and  tyrannical  as  were  some  of  the  rulers,  much 
that  is  valuable  has  come  down  from  those  distant 
periods.  During  the  rule  of  the  Han  dynasty  the  classics 
were  restored,  and  the  democratic  principle  of  competitive 
examinations  established.  The  invention  of  paper,  the 
discovery  of  the  art  of  printing,  the  advancement  in 
education,  and  the  multiplication  of  books  in  that  epoch, 
gave  a great  stimulus  to  national  life. 

Because  the  people  now  have  a voice  in  electing  their 
rulers  and  administering  government,  and  from  the 
fact  that  knowledge  is  diffused,,  this  nation,  which  lias 
been  considered  as  dead,  by  being  brought  in  contact 
with  the  nations  of  the  West  is  now  taking  a new  lease 
of  life. 

China  was  awakened  by  the  thunder  of  England’s 
cannon.  Knowing  little  of  the  power  of  modem  civ- 
ilization, wise  in  their  own  conceit,  proud  of  their 
longevity,  looking  upon  themselves  as  the  favored  of 
Heaven  and  perfect  in  all  things,  and  the  rest  of  man- 
kind as  barbarians,  they  were  the  most  arrogant  people 
in  the  world. 

The  lesson  which  England  taught  them  in  1842  was 
as  salutary  as  if  it  had  been  prompted  by  a disinterested 
motive. 

It  was  a severe  lecture  which  they  received  in  1856, 
when  the  allied  forces  quartered  themselves  in  the  im- 


THE  FUTURE  OF  CHINA. 


409 


perial  palace  at  Pekin.  Then  the  government  began  to 
understand  that  Western  civilization  was  superior  to  that 
of  China,  and  from  that  time  to  the  present  the  empire 
has  made  wonderful  progress. 

The  treaties  of  1858  are  now  subject  to  revision.  Mr. 
Burlingame  has  already  negotiated  a supplementary  treaty 
at  Washington,  which  is  denounced  by  men  in  California 
and  Oregon,  and  by  foreign  merchants  in  China,  as  being 
one-sided,  and  as  giving  the  Chinese  the  best  part  of  the 
bargain.  It  is  presumed  that  any  treaties  which  may  be 
concluded  between  China  and  European  powers  will  be 
similar  to  this,  as  China  cannot  consistently  grant  privi- 
leges to  one  which  at  the  same  time  are  not  common  to 
all.  Under  the  present  treaty,  twelve  ports  are  accessible 
to  foreign  trade  and  residence ; the  Yangtse  is  open  for 
steamers  to  Hankow ; foreigners  can  travel  witli  passports 
anywhere  for  business  or  pleasure ; they  can  send  foreign 
goods  into. the  interior  by  paying  a definite  commutation, 
fixed  at  one  half  the  ordinary  rates  levied  on  merchan- 
dise in  transit. 

But  merchants  in  China  ask  for  still  greater  privileges. 
They  are  Anglo-Saxons,  — energetic,  restless,  and  animat- 
ed by  progressive  ideas.  They  want  full  liberty  to  live 
anywhere,  to  navigate  all  the  waters  of  the  empire  with 
steamers.  They  want  railroads  and  telegraphs.  They 
are  anxious  to  work  coal-mines,  and  set  up  machinery  for 
manufacturing  purposes.  The  empire  must  be  thrown 
open  to  modern  civilization,  and,  if  China  refuses,  she 
must  be  forced  to  accede  to  the  demands  of  modern 
times. 

It  would  not  be  just  to  assert  that  such  is  the  posi- 
tion taken  by  all  the  foreign  merchants  in  China,  but 
such  are  the  demands  of  some  of  them. 

The  mission  of  Mr.  Burlingame  is  freely  discussed,  and 
not  always  in  a friendly  spirit.  It  would  not  be  strange 
18 


410 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


if  that  ambassador,  animated  and  enthusiastic  in  carrying 
out  his  mission,  should  arrive  at  an  exalted  opinion  of 
the  desire  of  the  Chinese  to  enter  upon  the  new  path. 
He  has  been  brought  in  contact  with  Prince  Kung,  the 
leader  of  the  progressive  party  in  the  government,  but 
there  is  a strong  reactionaiy  party,  backed  up  by  the 
ignorance  and  degradation  of  the  empire. 

The  English  residents  in  China  have  little  faith  that 
the  Chinese  will  advance,  except  as  they  are  pushed. 
Sitting  in  the  club-house  at  Shangliae,  we  hear  a great  deal 
said  about  knocking  the  heads  of  the  Chinamen  as  the 
only  way  to  obtain  any  new  concessions.  Whatever  may 
be  the  amount  of  moral  force  which  America  has  at 
Pekin,  whether  greater  or  less  than  that  of  England, 
any  one  visiting  China  will  not  need  such  a “pair  of 
microscopes”  as  Mr.  Samuel  Weller  described  while 
giving  his  testimony  in  the  case  of  Bardell  vs.  Pickwick 
to  see  that  the  physical  force  of  England  is  held  in  high 
respect  by  the  Chinese.  The  United  States  government 
has  no  troops  outside  of  its  own  territory ; but  English 
soldiers  and  war-ships  are  here,  to  back  up  any  demand 
made  by  the  Queen’s  ambassador  or  consul.  There  is  no 
dillydallying  on  the  part  of  her  officials  in  obtaining  re- 
dress, if  harm  is  done  to  English  residents.  The  policy 
of  Great  Britain,  we  think,  is  more  in  favor  with  the  for- 
eign merchants  than  that  pursued  by  the  United  States. 
Whether  it  is  the  best  is  another  matter,  to  say  nothing 
of  the  moral  aspects  of  the  question.  The  merchants  con- 
tend that  it  is  a kindness  to  China  to  compel  her  to  adopt 
the  improvements  of  modern  times,  and  that,  unless  she 
accepts  them,  she  will  not  be  able  to  avert  internal  dis- 
sensions, or  oppose  her  powerful  Muscovite  neighbor  ad- 
vancing towards  her  northern  boundary. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Chinese  object  to  foreigners 
residing  in  the  interior  and  introducing  new  inventions. 


THE  FUTURE  OF  CHINA. 


411 


unless  under  native  jurisdiction.  They  know  that  the 
introduction  of  steamers  on  the  rivers,  machinery  in  the 
workshops  and  fields,  will  revolutionize  society,  and 
that  millions  will  be  driven  from  their  present  pur- 
suits. Undoubtedly  there  are  many  Americans  who  look 
upon  China  as  a great  missionary  field,  where  we,  in  con- 
sequence of  our  geographical  position,  are  to  civilize  one 
third  of  the  human  race.  Let  us  see  how  we  have  com- 
menced. In  California  and  Oregon  a Chinaman  has  no 
rights  which  an  American  is  bound  to  respect.  Oregon 
orders  them  out  of  her  domain.  Laws  are  passed  dis- 
criminating against  them.  No  Chinaman  can  toil  in  the 
gold-mines  of  the  Pacific  coast  without  paying  an  exor- 
bitant tax.  An  Oregonian  going  to  China  is  allowed  to 
remain  in  peace.  He  may  find  justice  in  American  con- 
sular courts,  irrespective  of  Chinese  jurisdiction.  If  he 
wishes  to  send  goods  into  the  interior,  the  revenue  laws 
discriminate  in  his  favor.  Would  the  people  of  the 
United  States  consent  to  the  establishment  of  a foreign 
court  in  San  Francisco  ? But  China  has  granted  us  the 
right  to  make  our  own  municipal  laws  at  Shanghae,  and 
to  find  redress  in  our  own  tribunals.  A Chinaman  walk- 
ing peaceably  through  the  streets  of  San  Francisco  is  set 
upon  by  a brutal  mob,  knocked  down,  and  kicked  into 
the  gutter,  because  he  is  an  Asiatic. 

“ You  call  yourselves  Christians,”  is  his  only  reply,  as 
he  rises  and  brushes  the  dirt  from  his  clothes,  and  goes 
peaceably  on  his  way. 

He  might  plead  till  doomsday  before  the  courts  for 
redress,  without  obtaining  it. 

We  ramble  alone,  day  after  day,  through  Canton, 
Shanghae,  and  the  great  cities  in  the  interior  of  the 
empire,  without  molestation.  Were  we  maltreated,  the 
consul  would  demand  instant  redress,  and  obtain  it ! 

California  and  Oregon  protest  against  the  introduction 


412 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


of  Chinese  labor,  because  it  competes  with  the  Irish  labor 
in  those  States. 

“ The  introduction  of  your  own  steamers,”  says  Mr. 
Burlingame,  “throws  out  of  employment  one  hundred 
thousand  junk-men,  and  the  introduction  of  several  hun- 
dred foreigners  into  civil  service  embittered  of  course  the 
ancient  native  employees.”  The  Celt  just  over  from  Ire- 
land, with  the  ink  scarcely  dry  upon  his  naturalization 
papers,  proposes  to  shut  out  the  more  industrious  Asiatic 
from  all  chance  of  employment  in  this  country ; and  par- 
tisan politicians,  devoid  of  all  sense  of  honor  and  justice, 
and  comprehending  nothing  of  the  true  principles  of 
democratic  economy,  pass  laws  which  are  a disgrace  to 
our  country. 

The  people  of  California  and  Oregon  may  hang  their 
heads  in  shame  when  they  contrast  their  treatment  of  the 
Chinese  with  that  which  Americans  receive  in  China. 
Their  persecution  of  the  Asiatics  demands  the  reprobation 
of  the  nation. 

That  the  government  and  the  people  of  China  are 
moving  slowly  along  the  path  of  progress  cannot  be 
doubted,  yet  it  will  take  a long  while  to  overcome  the 
inertia  of  the  mighty  mass.  It  would  not  be  strange 
if  the  reactionary  party  should  yet  succeed  in  obstructing 
the  onward  movement.  There  are  men  in  China,  as  there 
are  in  California,  who  would  like  to  see  all  foreigners 
swept  into  the  sea.  People  who  have  been  thrown  out 
of  employment  by  the  introduction  of  steamboats  are 
restless ; mandarins  who  see  their  power  departing  are 
ready  to  stir  up  discontent.  There  cannot  be  a social 
revolution  without  a disturbance  of  elements,  and  it  will 
be  contraiy  to  the  experience  of  all  history  if  China  is  an 
exception. 


NORTHERN  CHINA. 


413 


CHAPTEE  LI. 


NORTHERN  CHINA. 


EAYELLEES  visiting  Northern  China  make  Shang- 


hae  their  point  of  departure.  Unfortunately  for  us, 
we  are  here  at  the  very  worst  season  for  a journey  to 
Pekin,  and  are  compelled  to  forego  the  pleasure  which  we 
had  anticipated  in  visiting  the  capital  of  the  empire.  The 
discomforts  more  than  counterbalance  the  pleasure  if  the 
trip  is  made  in  J uly  or  August.  It  should  be  undertaken 
in  May,  June,  September,  or  October.  It  must  be  re- 
membered that  there  are  no  comfortable  hotels,  and  that 
the  only  accommodation  is  that  furnished  by  the  native 
inns.  The  midsummer  months  are  intensely  hot,  the 
winter  and  early  spring  cold,  rainy,  and  disagreeable. 

Steamers  leave  Shanghae  every  week  for  the  northern 
ports.  The  first  stopping-place  is  at  Cheefoo,  on  the 
promontory  of  Shantung.  The  fare  from  Shanghae  to 
that  city  is  sixty-six  dollars,  and  the  voyage  occupies  four 
days.  The  province  of  which  this  is  the  chief  port  is  a 
little  larger  than  the  State  of  New  York,  and  contains 
twenty-eight  million  inhabitants.  The  promontory  is 
hilly,  but  the  interior  is  a low  plain,  intersected  by  a 
network  of  creeks  and  small  rivers,  through  which  the 
Yellow  Eiver  pours  its  flood  to  the  sea. 

Cheefoo  is  considered  the  healthiest  section  of  China 
accessible  to  foreigners,  and  during  the  hot  months  is  a 
resort  for  those  residing  at  Pekin  and  Shanghae. 

From  Cheefoo  the  steamer  sails  across  the  gulf  of 
Pecliili  to  the  village  of  Taku,  situated  at  the  mouth  of 
the  Peiho,  and  from  thence  to  Tientsin,  sixty-seven 


414 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


miles  up  that  stream,  which  closes  to  navigation  about 
the  middle  of  November,  and  does  not  reopen  till  March. 
The  lands  are  low,  — laid  off  into  rice-fields  and  orchards, 
— the  river  is  so  winding  and  narrow  that  the  steamers 
not  unfreqirently  come  to  a stand-still  in  the  mud-banks. 

Formerly  communication  with  Slianghae  was  by  the 
Grand  Canal ; but  since  the  Yellow  River  has  run  away 
from  its  old  channel  and  found  new  outlets  to  the  sea,  a 
portion  of  the  canal  has  become  useless,  and  the  trade 
and  travel  is  now  along  the  coast  in  junks  and  foreign 
steamers. 

Tientsin  has  a population  of  about  four  hundred  thou- 
sand. It  is  one  of  the  filthiest  cities  in  China,  and  very 
unhealthy.  To  one  who  has  seen  Canton  and  the  in- 
terior cities  of  the  empire,  it  will  present  few  objects  of 
interest ; but  it  is  accounted  one  of  the  best  places  in 
China  for  foreign  trade,  and  a hotel  has  been  opened  by 
a Frenchman.  Several  missionaries  reside  there,  from 
whom  travellers  will  always  receive  courteous  attention. 

It  is  eighty  miles  from  Tientsin  to  Pekin,  and  there  are 
two  routes,  one  by  boat  to  Tungchow,  which  is  thirteen 
miles  from  the  capital,  the  other  by  cart  all  the  way  from 
Tientsin.  The  journey  by  land  requires  three,  that  by 
the  river  five  days.  The  cost  of  a boat  for  the  trip  is 
from  seven  to  ten  dollars.  The  charge  for  a cart  and  one 
mule,  one  dollar  per  day  ; two  mules,  two  dollars. 

There  is  no  harder  riding  than  in  a China  cart.  The 
wheels  are  clumsy,  the  body  nailed  to  the  axle,  and 
there  is  no  seat,  spring,  or  cushion.  The  mules  are  har- 
nessed tandem.  The  road  is  worn  by  constant  travel,  and 
there  are  deep  ruts,  sloughs,  and  miry  places,  which  the 
driver  is  not  careful  to  avoid.  The  only  accommodations 
for  the  night  will  be  those  furnished  at  the  native  way- 
side  inns.  The  thirteen-mile  ride  from  Tungchow  to 
Pekin  will  be  as  much  native  cart-riding  as  most  travel- 


NORTHERN  CHINA. 


415 


lers  will  care  for.  The  conveyance  by  boat  will  be  far 
more  comfortable. 

Passports  are  needed  to  Pekin,  which  may  be  obtained 
of  the  consul  at  Tientsin. 

Pekin  is  an  old  city.  It  was  the  capital  of  the  king- 
dom of  Yen.  From  Chinese  records  we  learn  that  222 
B.  C.  it  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Tsin  dynasty.  Genghis 
Khan  captured  it  1215  A.  D.,  and  it  has  been  the  capital 
of  the  empire  from  that  time  to  the  present. 

It  is  composed  of  two  parts,  — the  northern  or  Tartar, 
the  southern  or  Chinese  city.  The  former  contains  about 
twelve  square  miles,  and  is  surrounded  by  a wall  about 
fifty  feet  high  and  forty  thick,  with  frequent  buttresses. 
Within  this  area  is  the  imperial  palace  and  the  resi- 
dences of  the  officials. 

The  Chinese  section  is  also  walled,  and  contains  the 
shops  and  residences  of  the  mercantile  and  industrial  por- 
tion of  the  community.  The  total  circumference  of  the 
two  cities  is  about  twenty  miles,  and  the  population  prob- 
ably is  not  far  from  two  million. 

As  in  all  Chinese  cities,  the  dull  uniformity  is  unbroken 
by  spires,  domes,  or  towers,  and  the  only  objects  seen 
above  the  tiled  roofs  are  the  numerous  flag-staffs  which 
stand  in  front  of  the  official  residences  of  the  mandarins. 

The  walls  that  surround  the  imperial  palace  enclose 
a space  about  a mile  square.  It  is  known  by  the  foreign- 
ers as  the  “ Prohibited  City,”  into  which  no  one  is  allowed 
to  enter  unless  connected  with  the  royal  family  or  high  in 
official  position. 

According  to  Chinese  writers,  the  room  in  which  the 
emperor  receives  his  officers  of  state  is  painted  in  ver- 
milion and  carpeted  with  yellow  velvet,,  figured  with 
black  dragons. 

Within  the  enclosure  is  the  “ Palace  of  the  Earth’s  Ee- 
pose,”  and  the  “ Heavenly  Flower  Garden  ” ; in  plain 


416 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


English,  they  would  be  called  the  palace  and  garden  of 
the  empress.  In  the  eastern  division  of  the  Prohibited 
City  is  the  " Hall  of  Intense  Thought  ” ; also  the  “ Hall 
of  the  Literary  Abyss  ” ! — in  other  words,  the  hall  where 
Confucius  is  worshipped,  and.  the  library. 

Among  the  objects  of  interest  in  the  Tartar  city  is 
the  Lama  Temple,  containing  a colossal  image  of  Buddha 
sixty  feet  high,  composed  of  wood  and  clay,  with  a bronzed 
surface.  The  temples  are  numerous,  but  they  are  not 
more  magnificent  than  those  of  Canton  or  of  the  cities 
in  the  interior.  Pekin  has  not  yet  recovered  from  its 
capture  by  the  Allies  in  1860,  when  several  of  the  pal- 
aces were  destroyed. 

The  great  wall,  which  is  one  of  the  chief  objects  of 
interest  in  this  empire,  is  about  fifty  miles  north  of  the 
city.  It  is  a five  days’  excursion  to  that  wonderful  struc- 
ture, reared  two  and  a half  centuries  before  the  Christian 
era.  This,  and  the  few  temples  in  Pekin,  are  the  only  par- 
ticular objects  of  interest  in  Northern  China. 

The  round  trip  from  Shangliae  will  require  one  month, 
and  the  expense  will  be  from  $250  to  $300.  Probably 
most  travellers  will  leave  it  out  of  their  programme,  and 
devote  the  time  to  other  portions  of  the  route  around 
the  world. 

Bidding  farewell  to  the  many  kind  acquaintances  at 
Shanghae,  who  have  made  our  stay  pleasant  and  profit- 
aide,  we  steam  down  the  Wusung  into  the  Yangtse  on 
the  Costa  Bica  of  the  Pacific  mail  line  of  steamships. 

We  have  agreeable  company  in  the  person  of  Captain 
Phelps,  formerly  of  the  United  States  navy,  and  now 
principal  agent  of  the  steamship  company  in  China  and 
Japan,  residing  at  Yokohama. 

The  Costa  Bica  has  two  barges  in  tow,  which  are  to  be 
taken  to  Nagasaki.  The  distance  is  four  hundred  and 
eighty  miles,  and  the  trip  is  usually  made  in  forty-eight 


NORTHERN  CHINA. 


417 


hours ; but  for  five  days  we  are  tossed  and  tumbled  on 
the  Yellow  Sea  in  a typhoon. 

The  gentle  breeze  of  the  morning  gradually  freshens. 
The  barges  break  loose,  are  picked  up  and  more  securely 
fastened.  The  waves  increase  in  height.  The  light 
fleecy  clouds,  flitting  up  from  the  southeast,  assume  a 
grayer  hue.  The  gale  is  rising  to  a tempest.  The  stout 
warps,  which  were  attached  to  the  lighters  in  the  morn- 
ing, vibrate  across  the  waves  like  the  overstrained  strings 
of  a harp,  then  part,  and  they  are  free  once  more. 
Darkness  is  coming  on,  and  a boat  would  hardly  live 
in  such  a sea.  Through  the  night  they  drift  while  we 
steam  around  them,  the  wheels  slowly  turning..  They 
are  too  valuable  to  be  abandoned.  The  wildness  of  the 
night  is  succeeded  by  a calmer  morning.  The  boats  are 
launched,  and  the  truants  secured,  this  time  with  newer 
and  stronger  cables. 

But  space  is  wanting  for  a detailed  narrative  of  the 
greater  fury  of  the  storm,  — the  sailors  lashing  them- 
selves to  the  rigging ; the  laboring  of  the  ship  through  the 
lagging  hours,  rolling  the  passengers  out  of  their  berths ; 
the  cannon  breaking  loose,  crashing  into  the  cattle- 
pens,  and  crushing  the  legs  of  the  cows ; waves  dashing 
over  the  deck,  washing  the  geese  from  their  pen,  taking 
the  cackling  flock  out  to  sea;  chairs  and  tables  tum- 
bling, crockery  smashing,  wind  howling,  lightning  flash- 
ing ; a mighty  billow  rolling  over  the  steamer,  ingulfing 
the  barges,  severing  the  two  eleven-inch  and  the  five 
three-inch  best  Manila  cables,  between  them  and  the 
ship,  as  if  they  were  but  threads  ! 

The  storm  has  ceased,  and  the  sea  no  longer  raves. 
We  are  in  sight  of  Japan. 

“ Earth  how  beautiful ! how  clear 
Of  cloud  or  mist  the  atmosphere ! 

What  a glory  greets  the  eye ! ” 


18* 


AA 


418 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Hill  upon  hill,  mountain  upon  mountain ; white  sand 
and  gray  rocks  along  the  shore ; groves  of  pine  and  palm, 
bamboo  and  oak ; terraces,  gardens,  and  orchards  adorn- 
ing the  land ; villages  reposing  in  peaceful  vales ; the 
boats  of  fishermen  anchored  in  snug  harbors  or  sailing 
over  the  sea.  Charming  the  scene ! 


. CHAPTER  LI  I . 

APPROACH  TO  NAGASAKI. 

THE  harbor  of  Nagasaki  is  approached  through  a 
narrow  inlet  which  is  so  concealed  from  view  by 
small  islands  that  mariners  unacquainted  with  the  coast 
sometimes  are  puzzled  to  find  it.  Not  till  we  are  close  in 
shore  can  we  see  any  opening  among  the  hills.  There 
are  small  sheds  upon  the  hillsides,  that,  upon  a close 
inspection,  we  discover  to  be  erected  over  cannon  placed 
en  barbette  in  fortifications  commanding  the  entrance. 
About  fifty  guns  are  in  position,  mostly  twenty-four- 
pounders, — bronze  ordnance,  cast  several  hundred  years 
ago,  and  said  to  contain  a large  percentage  of  silver. 
They  probably  would  not  be  any  more  effective  on  that 
account,  but  are  more  valuable  than  old  iron  for  smelting. 
None  of  the  foreign  powers  as  yet  have  had  any  serious 
conflict  with  the  Japanese,  and  their  military  prowess  has 
not  been  tested,  but  they  are  following  in  the  path  of 
Western  nations  in  naval  and  military  preparations.  A 
gunboat,  built  in  England,  lies  off  the  harbor  as  we 
approach,  looking  after  the  vessels  coaling  at  an  island 
at  our  right  hand,  where  coal  of  excellent  quality  is 
mined. 


APPROACH  TO  NAGASAKI. 


419 


Before  us  rises  tlie  island  of  Pappenberg,  a conical  bill 
barely  a mile  in  circumference,  with  a perpendicular  pre- 
cipice a hundred  feet  high  upon  the  southern  side. 
When  Christianity  was  suppressed,  three  hundred  years 


WESTERN  JAPAN. 

ago,  it  was  the  scene  of  a terrible  slaughter.  Twenty 
thousand  men,  women,  and  children  were  driven  up  the 
slope,  upon  the  northern  side,  and  pitched  headlong  down 
the  declivity  upon  the  rocks  below.  No  Christian  is 
allowed  to  visit  it.  We  pass  within  cable’s  length  of  the 
rocks  on  which  the  martyrs  to  the  faith  gave  up  their 
lives.  Fishermen  are  casting  their  nets  along  the  shore, 
where  the  mangled  bodies  w'ere  tumbled  into  the  deep. 
No  monument  marks  the  spot ; but  the  gray  cliff,  wearing 
its  emerald  crown,  is  an  everlasting  memorial  to  the  mar- 
tyred dead : — 


420 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


“ Like  sheep  to  slaughter  led, 

• Unmurmuring  they  met  their  cruel  fate ; 

For  conscious  innocence  their  souls  upheld, 

In  patient  virtue  great.” 

Passing  the  island,  we  enter  the  narrow  inlet  and  be- 
hold the  harbor,  — a deep  indentation  of  the  coast,  two 
miles  in  length,  about  a mile  wide,  and  surrounded  by 
high  hills.  At  our  right  hand  are  the  residences  of 
foreigners,  and  beyond  them  the  city. 

We  have  reached  a new  empire,  and,  before  landing, 
we  may  profitably  review  its  history. 

In  1853  Commodore  Perry,  commanding  a United 
States  fleet,  appeared  off'  the  coast  of  Japan  to  hold  com- 
munication with  a people  which  for  centuries  had  held 
themselves  aloof  from  the  rest  of  the  world.  The  first 
treaty  between  the  Tycoon  and  the  United  States  was 
signed  the  succeeding  year.  It  provided  that  citizens 
of  America  should  be  allowed  to  trade  at  two  ports, 
under  restrictions  ; that  supplies  should  be  furnished 
to  ships  putting  into  those  harbors  ; and  that  ship-wrecked 
sailors  should  be  well  treated.'  In  1858  a more  satis- 
factory treaty  was  negotiated.  This  action  of  our  country 
stirred  up  other  nations ; and  Great  Britain,  the  Nether- 
lands, France,  Kussia,  Portugal,  Italy,  Switzerland,  and 
Prussia  made  haste  to  open  diplomatic  and  commercial 
relations  with  the  Tycoon. 

Although  ten  years  have  elapsed  since  the  signing  of 
the  last  treaty,  we  know  very  little  of  the  country  or 
its  government.  And  yet  this  is  one  of  the  oldest  na- 
tions on  the  face  of  the  earth,  with  a history  going  back 
nearly  to  the  time  of  Moses.  Through  the  long  centuries 
revolutions,  wars,  the  struggles  of  dynasties,  all  have  been 
going  on  here. 

The  first  allusion,  in  European  writings  to  Japan  is  in 
Marco  Polo’s  account,  of  his  travels  in  Cathay,  who  was 
at  the  court  of  Ghengis  Khan  of  Tartary  from  1260  to 


APPROACH  TO  NAGASAKI. 


421 


1294  A.  D.  That  great  Tartar  chieftain  fitted  out  a grand 
expedition  for  the  conquest  of  this  empire  of  Zipangu,  — 
the  Japanese  pronunciation  of  the  word  Japan. 

The  country  was  discovered  by  the  Portuguese  in  1542, 
in  that  age  which,  above  all  others,  was  marked  by  zeal 
for  the  propagation  of  religion.  It  was  in  1540  that 
seven  young  men  met  in  a little  underground  chapel  in 
Paris,  and  organized  themselves  into  a society,  taking 
solemn  vows  never  to  marry,  to  remain  always  in  poverty, 
to  render  absolute  obedience  to  their  chief ; to  go  at  any 
instant,  by  day  or  by  night,  into  unknown  danger,  — to 
the  burning  sands  of  Africa,  to  the  jungles  of  Asia ; to 
employ  any  means,  — truth  when  it  would  serve,  false- 
hood and  duplicity  when  nothing  else  would  do,  — to 
propagate  the  Gospel.  Their  election  of  a chief  fell 
upon  Ignatius  Loyola,  whose  ablest  follower  was  Francis 
Xavier. 

India  was  then  conspicuously  before  the  Western  na- 
tions. All  governments  were  reaching  out  their  hands  to 
grasp  the  wealth  of  that  land  which  exported  gold,  ivory, 
and  peacock’s  feathers,  whose  rivers  sparkled  with  dia- 
monds, whose  temple  roofs  were  overlaid  with  pure  gold, 
and  whose  barbaric  kings  displayed  wealth  greater  than 
that  of  all  Christendom.  It  was  an  age  of  greed  as  well 
as  of  zeal.  The  chief  officer  of  the  Society  of  Jesus  and 
his  most  devoted  followers  were  in  Spain  in  1542. 

At  that  time  a vessel  was  fitting  out  in  one  of  the  ports 
for  Goa,  the  Portuguese  colony  of  India. 

At  a day’s  notice  from  Loyola,  Xavier  was  ready  for 
the  journey  to  his  future  field  of  labor.  He  stopped  not 
to  bid  farewell  to  friends,  made  no  provision  for  the 
voyage,  packed  no  ponderous  trunks,  but  with  his  old 
tattered  cloak,  a bag  over  his  shoulder,  started  upon  his 
far-distant  mission,  reached  Goa  before  the  end  of  the 
year,  went  to  the  Straits  of  Malacca,  visited  the  neigh- 


422 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


boring  islands,  where  he  fell  in  with  a Japanese  named 
Angrio,  who  had  been  brought  to  Malacca  by  the  Portu- 
guese, and  who  accepted  the  new  religion.  Xavier  pushed 
on  to  Japan,  arrived  here  at  Nagasaki  in  1549,  made  a 
few  converts,  obtained  information,  laid  plans  for  the 
future,  sailed  for  China,  and  died  on  the  passage. 

But  his  plans  were  taken  up  by  his  followers.  Priests 
came,  and  Christianity  obtained  a foothold  at  this  port. 
The  Portuguese  began  to  trade  here  at  Nagasaki  in  1558. 
A church  was  established,  and  several  of  the  Japanese 
damios,  or  princes,  embraced  the  Christian  religion.  The 
emperor  was  well  disposed  towards  the  missionaries.  Two 
of  the  damios  were  sent  to  Europe  as  ambassadors  to  the 
Pope  in  1582,  at  which  time  Christianity  had  made  great 
progress  in  the  empire.  They  were  received  at  Pome  with 
grand  ceremonies ; there  was  great  rejoicing  throughout 
Christendom  over  the  thought  that  the  far  East  was  wel- 
coming the  Gospel,  that  the  islands  of  the  sea  had  stretched 
out  their  hands  to  God,  and  that  prophecy  was  being  ful- 
filled. It  is  stated  that  it  was  the  custom  of  the  priests 
to  go  through  the  streets  bearing  a cross,  ringing  a bell, 
and  sprinkling  holy  water  upon  the  crowd.  Upon  whom- 
soever a drop  fell  he  was  counted  as  a Christian,  was 
made  to  believe  that  he  had  received  the  new  religion, 
and  was  numbered  among  the  converts. 

A new  Tycoon  came  into  power  in  1587.  He  was  a 
conservative,  who  held  that  Japanese  should  rule  Japan, 
and  that  foreigners  were  of  an  inferior  race.  He  ordered 
them  to  quit  the  country.  The  people  began  to  throw 
stones  at  them  in  the  streets,  to  jostle  them  off  the  side- 
walks, and  occasionally  a Japanese  gentleman  of  the  con- 
servative party  manifested  his  superiority  by  ripping  up 
or  cutting  down  a priest.  The  government  began  to  hang 
native  Christians  on  trees,  impaled  them  on  stakes,  or 
pitched  them  down  precipices.  The  first  martyr  was  ex- 


APPROACH  TO  NAGASAKI. 


423 


ecuted  in  1598,  but  the  Jesuits  were  not  wholly  driven 
from  the  country  till  twenty-two  years  later.  In  1G20, 
when  the  Mayflower  was  making  her  lonely  voyage 
across  the  Atlantic,  the  Tycoon  drove  the  last  Jesuit 
priest  from  the  empire,  and  a few  years  later  the  Dutch 
traders,  who  had  made  no  efforts  to  introduce  a new  re- 
ligion, were  confined  to  the  small  island  in  front  of  the 
town  of  Nagasaki,  called  the  Desima.  Through  them  the 
Japanese  informed  themselves  of  what  was  going  on  in 
the  world,  at  the  same  time  keeping  themselves  wholly 
secluded. 

The  chief  islands  forming  the  Japanese  group  are  four 
in  number,  — Yesso,  Niphon,  Kiusiu,  and  Sikok.  In  ad- 
dition there  are  several  hundred  small  islands,  some  in- 
habited, others  the  resort  of  innumerable  waterfowl.  The 
two  southern  islands,  Kiusiu  and  Sikok,  are  most  fertile, 
and  have  a dense  population.  Being  situated  between 
the  thirtieth  and  fortieth  parallels,  the  climate  is  variable, 
cooler  than  that  of  the  United  States  in  the  same  lati- 
tude in  summer,  and  warmer  in  winter. . Europeans  re- 
siding in  China,  worn  and  wasted  by  hard  work,  come  to 
Nagasaki  to  recover  their  strength  and  to  revel  in  the 
beauties  of  the  mountain  scenery. 

The  entire  group  of  islands  is  of  volcanic  origin.  It  is 
easy  to  trace  here  and  there  the  various  strata  of  lava 
which  ages  ago  flowed  down  the  mountain-sides.  Earth- 
quakes are  frequent,  and  the  people  rarely  build  their 
houses  more  than  one  story  high  on  that  account.  Though 
the  hand  of.  man  has  accomplished  but  little  in  the  way 
of  adornment,  Nature  has  done  so  much  that  we  are 
charmed  with  the  prospect  before  us. 


424 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  LIII. 


WESTERN  JAPAN. 


HE  city  of  Nagasaki  is  located  on  the  eastern  shore 


of  the  bay,  and  is  spread  out  upon  a level  plain 
with  its  suburbs  rising  upon  the  slopes  of  lofty  hills. 
Though  the  houses  are  low  and  of  uniform  architecture, 
though  the  temples  have  no  domes,  minarets,  or  spires, 
their  situation  upon  the  hillsides,  surrounded  by  groves, 
gives  a pleasing  picture  to  the  scenery. 

A few  ships  swing  at  their  anchors,  — American,  Eng- 
lish, and  French  vessels  of  war,  three  Japanese  gunboats 
and  native  junks ; but  the  mercantile  activity  which 
characterizes  Slianghae  is  wanting. 

The  population  of  the  city  is  estimated  at  one  hundred 
thousand.  The  streets  are  wider  than  those  of  Chinese 
cities,  cross  at  right  angles,  and  are  well  paved,  though 
carts  or  carriages  never  pass  through  them.  Every- 
thing is  carried  by  coolies.  The  city  is  divided  into 
wards,  having  gates,  which . are  closed  at  night  as  a 
precaution  against  riot. 

That  the  people  are  hardier  than  the  Chinese  is  our 
first  impression.  They  are  taller,  have  a more  manly 
physique,  and  are  less  mildly  tempered.  The  second 
impression  is  that  they  are  lower  in  morals. 

A shopkeeper  invites  us  to  enter  his  establishment. 
The  front  part  is  his  shop,  wide  open  by  day,  but 
closed  by  wooden  shutters  at  night.  We  accept  the 
invitation,  and  look  at  his  work-boxes,  tea-trays,  lacquered 
ware,  fans,  and  carved  ivory.  A movable  screen  sepa- 
rates the  shop  from  the  parlor.  A few  low  stools,  pic- 


WESTERN  JAPAN. 


425 


tures  by  Japanese  artists  on  the  walls,  pots  and  pans, 
teacups,  saucers,  bowls,  and  plates  of  nice  porcelain, 
mats  which  will  be  spread  on  the  floor  at  night  for  bed- 
ding, are  the  chief  articles  of  furniture. 

We  are  in  the  presence  of  the  shopkeeper’s  wife  and 
daughter,  the  last  a young  lady  about  twenty  years  of 
age.  Her  only  clothing  is  a skirt  reaching  from  the 
waist  to  the  ankles.  The  mother  is  well  dressed  in  a 
long  flowing  robe.  She  bustles  about,  sets  the  stools 
aside,  disappears  behind  a screen  and  reappears  with  a 
stuffed  chair,  and  with  many  a smile  and  nod  and  wink 
motions  us  to  the  seat,  then  herself  crouches  upon  the 
floor  at  our  feet,  shows  us  photographs  of  Nagasaki  and 
other  works  of  art. 

She  has  long  black  hair,  combed,  braided,  and -taste- 
fully adorned  with  artificial  flowers,  a pug  nose,  high  and 
prominent  cheek-bones,  a broad  forehead,  small  black 
eyes,  a tawny  complexion  with  a tinge  of  peach -bloom 
on  her  cheeks,  a homely  mouth,  and  a red  lip.  Not 
many  artists  would  give  such  features  to  their  ideal 
of  perfect  beauty,  but  for  all  that  there  is  a pleas- 
ing expression  of 
the  countenance 
when  animated, 
or  when  she 
smiles ; but  when 
the  smile  be- 
comes a laugh, 
and  the  lips  part, 
we  see  that  her 
teeth  are  black  as 
jet. 

She  has  been 
taking  a cup  of 

tea.  The  hot  wa-  preparing  fob  a smoke. 


426 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ter  is  still  steaming  in  the  kettle,  and  the  little  porcelain 
pot  and  diminutive  cup  are  on  a box  by  her  side.  She 
is  preparing  for  a smoke. 


DEVOTED  LOVE. 


This  lady  has  plucked  out  every  hair  of  her  eyebrows. 
Thereby  hangs  a story.  Years  ago  a beautiful  princess 
of  Japan,  in  order  to  show  her  devotion  to  her-  husband, 
blackened  her  teeth  and  pulled  out  her  eyebrows,  making 
herself  hideous  in  the  sight  of  all  gallant's,  and  so  all 
loving  wives  follow  her  example. 

We  see  a family  bathing  in  their  own  house,  not 
taking  the  trouble  even  to  place  a screen  between 
themselves  and  the  open  door.  Turning  up  a side 
street  we  come  to  a public  bath-house,  where  men, 
women,  and  children  have  laid  aside  their  clothing,  and 
are  bathing  together  with  as  much  freedom  as  a flock 
of  ducks ! 

We  meet  now  and  then  a lady  of  the  upper  class,  wear- 
ing a blue  silk  dress,  or  of  flaming  yellow  or  red,  with 
under-dress  of  other  bright  colors,  flowing  sleeves,  em- 


WESTERN  JAPAN. 


427 


broidered  with  gold,  wearing  yellow  or  crimson  slippers, 
her  hair  neatly  plaited,  set  off  with  pinks  and  marigolds, 
ear-drops  of  jade-stone,  a costly  fan,  its  sticks  of  ivory 
elaborately  carved,  adorned  with  beetles,  bugs,  and  flies 
of  bronze  or  pearl. 

The  handsomest  buildings  in  the  native  city,  like  those 
described  by  Kempfer  two  hundred  years  ago,  are  now 
devoted  to  immoral  uses.  The  keepers  of  the  establish- 
ments purchase  girls  of  their  parents,  lodge  them  in  good 
apartments,  teach  them  to  dance,  sing,  play,  or  write, 
and  instruct  them  in  domestic  economy.  It  is  said  that 


JAPANESE  LADIES. 

a girl  in  such  an  establishment  has  a far  better  chance 
of  obtaining  a husband  than  those  who  are  not  thus  edu- 
cated, — a statement  which  we  are  loath  to  credit.  But 
society  in  Japan  presents  a remarkable  contrast  to  other 
Eastern  countries  in  the  education  of  women.  Here  boys 
and  girls  of  the  poorer  classes  are  taught  together  in  vil- 
lage schools.  At  the  age  of  twelve  or  fourteen  the  boys 
are  put  into  schools  by  themselves,  while  the  girls  are 
taught  domestic  economy.  The  education  is  not  of  a 
high  order,  but  far  better  than  utter  ignorance,  as  in 


428 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


India.  Girls  belonging  to  the  higher  classes  practise 
music,  painting,  and  the  composition  of  poetry. 

Strange  contrasts  ! There  is  no  disgrace  to  the  girls  in 
leading  such  a life  before  marriage,  but  their  parents  are 
debarred  from  good  society,  while  the  keeper  of  the  estab- 
lishment is  looked  upon  as  a vile  fellow.  The  sense  of 
modesty,  as  understood  by  civilized  nations,  seems  to  be 
wholly  wanting.  In  Egypt  and  Tndia  modesty  consists 
in  covering  the  face,  even  though  the  body  may  be  ex- 
posed ; but  in  Japan  it  is  not  immodest  to  expose  face  and 
body  alike.  There  is  plenty  of  room  for  civilization  and 
Christianity  to  develop  their  power  in  this  quarter  of  the 
globe. 

The  chief  musical  instrument  used  by  the  ladies,  is 
somewhat  like 

“ David’s  harp  of  solemn  sound,” 


to  quote  from  Dr.  Watts,  which  had  ten  strings,  while 
these  have  all  the  way  from  three  to  thirteen,  which  are 
stretched  on  a highly  ornamented  frame,  lacquered  and 
inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl.  Minstrels  saunter  the 
streets  and  frequent  the  tea-houses,  playing  on  harps, 

bamboo  flutes, 
and  flageolets, 
accompanying 
singers  whose 
voices  are 
pitched  on  a 
high  key,  and 
whose  songs 
are  wails  in 
the  minor 
mode.  Their 
music  is  not 
so  thunderous 
and  ear-split- 


JIINSTKELS. 


WESTERN  JAPAN. 


429 


ting  as  that  of  the  Chinese,  but  is  equally  wanting  in 
rhythm  and  harmony. 

They  are  more  accomplished  in  painting  than  in  music. 
Their  mistakes  in  perspective  are  as  amusing  as  those 
delineated  by  Hogarth.  In  a picture  before  us  we  see  a 
boat  in  the  foreground  in  which  are  several  gayly  dressed 
ladies,  one  of  them  holding  an  umbrella  which  shelters 
several  vessels  in  a distant  harbor,  as  well  as  a large  town 
surrounded  by  groves  and  gardens.  The  ducks  and  water- 
fowl  sporting  in  the  stream  a half-mile  away  are  nearly 
as  large  as  tire  nearer  sail-boats. 

In  brilliant  coloring  the  Japanese  are  unsurpassed. 
Boxes,  screens,  tea-trays,  and  books  are  highly  and 
elaborately  ornamented.  The  designs  are  rude  attempts 
at  landscape,  with  Fusiyama,  the  “matchless  mountain” 
of  the  empire,  which  we  shall  see  on  the  eastern  coast,  as 
a prominent  feature.  The  stork,  stretching  its  broad 
wings  in  flight,  or  wading  by  reedy  marshes,  is  a fre- 
quent figure.  It  is  the  guardian  bird  of  Japan,  and  is 
as  affectionately  regarded  here  as  in  Germany. 

We  meet  men  wearing  one  long  and  another  short 
swords  in  their  belts.  These  fellows  are  called  Yako- 
nihs ; they  are  the  retainers  of  the  various  damios,  or 
princes,  of  the  empire.  They  hold  themselves  in  high 
esteem,  and  look  upon  foreigners  as  belonging  to  an  in- 
ferior race.  At  the  present  time  these  gentlemen  are  on 
a rampage,  being  greatly  exercised  on  the  question 
whether  Japanese  shall  Tule  Japan,  or  whether  inter- 
lopers from  the  United  States  and  England  shall  have 
social  and  political  privileges. 

A fanatical  or  drunken  Yakonin  ought  to  shake  hands 
with  “conservative”  gentlemen  of  Texas  and  other 
Southern  States.  Several  foreigners  have  lost  their  lives 
lately  at  the  hands  of  these  fellows.  They  attacked  the 
English  Minister,  Sir  Kutherford  Alcock,  at  Yedo,  not 


430  OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 

long  since.  Admiral  Rowan  of  the  United  States  navy, 
now  at  Yokohama,  has  ordered  all  the  officers  to  carry 
their  revolvers  when  on  shore,  and  if  they  see  a Yakonin 
drawing  his  sword  to  shoot  him  down  instantly,  for  it  is 
a rule  with  them  never  to  unsheathe  it  except  to  strike 
down  an  enemy.  The  country  is  convulsed  with  civil 
war,  and  they  are  under  no  restraint.  Conservatism 
has  the  same  arguments  here  that  it  has  in  America. 
No  political  privileges  shall  be  granted  to  foreigners. 
They  shall  have  no  social  or  political  rights. 

We  are  accompanied  in  our  stroll  through  the  town 
by  several  fellow-passengers,  and  have  a crowd  following 
us,  indulging  their  curiosity.  The  women  are  greatly 
amused  when  they  discover  the  hoop-skirts  worn  by  the 
ladies  of  our  party.  They  test  the  springs,  gaze  at  the 
mysterious  framework  in  wonder,  and  then  give  way  to 


THE  MYSTERY  OF  CRINOLTNB. 


THROUGH  THE  INLAND  SEA. 


431 


boisterous  merriment.  To  them  it  is  undoubtedly  the 
most  ridiculous  arrangement  in  the  world.  Undoubtedly 
they  think  that  the  women  of  America  must  have  very 
strange  ideas  of  dress  to  wear  such  complicated  ma- 
chinery. 


CHAPTER  LIY. 

THROUGH  THE  INLAND  SEA. 

NEVER  was  there  a lovelier  morning  than  that  which 
dawns  upon  us  as  we  steam  out  of  the  harbor  of 
Nagasaki  and  up  the  western  coast  of  the  island  of  Kiu- 
siu.  Clear  the  air  and  calm  the  sea.  We  look  upon  an 
ever-changing  panorama,  — pebbly  beaches,  sunny  hill- 
sides, whitewashed  cottages,  blooming  gardens,  deep  bays, 
dotted  with  white  sails  ; rocky  islands,  with  beetling  cliffs  ; 
scarped  rock,  sharp  needles  of  granite,  worn  by  the 
waves ; sheltered  coves,  where  the  fishermen  moor  their 
boats ; lofty  mountains  in  the  distance,  — a picture  of  sur- 
passing beauty. 

Ten  miles  north  of  the  entrance  to  Nagasaki  harbor  we 
behold  a wonderful  specimen  of  natural  architecture, — 
two  granite  columns,  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  high,  at  a 
guess,  and  fifty  feet  apart,  rugged,  sharpened  at  the  top, 
with  a great  boulder  of  a thousand  tons,  chucked  like  a 
wedge  between  the  pillars,  forming  a stupendous  gateway 
through  which  a fleet  of  fishing-boats  and  schooners,  or  a 
yacht  scpiadron,  might  sail  in  grand  procession.  How 
came  it  there  ? By  what  volcanic  upheaval  was  it  tossed 
high  in  the  air,  to  fall  like  a wedge  into  its  position  ? Or 
did  it  tumble  from  a mountain  cliff  which  has  been  worn 


Titans  and  Cyclops,  — the  fabled,  strong,  and  mighty 
monsters  of  mythological  era ! But  there  is  nothing  of 
man’s  work,  nothing  of  legend  and  fable,  so  wonderful 
as  the  handiwork  of  God. 

» While  enjoying  the  beauties  of  this  coast,  we  meet  a 
Japanese  steamer,  the  Sir  Harry  Parkes,  bearing  the  flag 
of  the  full  moon,  the  national  ensign.  This  steamer 
sailed  from  Nagasaki  three  weeks  ago,  with  four  hundred 
native  Christians  on  board,  who  had  been  arrested,  thrown 
into  prison,  put  on  board  this  vessel,  and  carried  off,  no . 
one  knows  whither.  There  are  stories  that  they  were 
taken  out  to  sea  and  thrown  overboard;  but  the  more 
probable  supposition  is,  that  they  have  been  sent  to  the 


432  OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 

s' 

away  by  the  waves  ? It  is  so  remarkable,  so  immense,  so 
perfect  a gateway,  that  we  are  all  but  ready  to  exclaim : 
It  is  not  Nature’s  architecture,  but  the  handiwork  of  the 


SCENERY  OF  THE  WESTERN  COAST. 


THROUGH  THE  INLAND  SEA. 


433 


mines,  away  north,  on  the  island  of  Yesso.  They  will  be 
■ j worked  hard,  poorly  fed,  and  subject  to  cruel  treatment. 
Their  only  crime  is  that  they  are  Christians. 

What  vitality  there  is  in  a religious  idea ! Through 
the  three  hundred  years  which  have  elapsed  since  the 
expulsion  of  the  Jesuits  Christianity  has  lived  in  the 
empire.  Persecution  has  failed  to  root  it  out. 

One  of  our  passengers  is  the  Catholic  prelate  of  Japan, 
on  his  way  to  Yokohama,  to  see  the  French  ambassador 
in  regard  to  the  persecution.  He  informs  us  that  there 
are  probably  one  hundred  thousand  Christians  in  the  em- 
pire. He  is  already  in  communication  with  twenty  thou- 
sand. They  have  held  their  faith  in  secret,  have  met  in 
the  mountains,  in  caves  and  dens,  maintained  rude  forms 
of  prayer  and  ceremonies  of  worship.  The  present  perse- 
cution is  instigated  by  the  priests  of  Buddha.  One  of 
them  last  year  visited  Nagasaki,  called  upon  Mr.  Yerbeck, 
a Dutchman,  who  is  trading  there,  stayed  with  him 
awhile,  obtained  some  information  in  regard  to  Christian- 
ity, and  then  disappeared.  Not  long  since  a pamphlet 
was  published,  inciting  hostility  to  the  new  religion.  Mr. 
Yerbeck  at  once  recognized  it  as  the  production  of  the 
priest  who  had  been  under  his  instruction. 

Mr.  Verbeck,  who  is  a Protestant,  and  the  French 
bishop,  both  are  of  the  opinion  that  idolatry  is  dying  out 
in  the  empire.  There  is  a great  desire  on  the  part  of  the 
people  to  acquire  the  English  language.  In  all  of  the 
cities  open  to  foreign  trade  there  are  many  men  and  wo- 
men who  can  speak  English.  They  have  found  out  that 
it  is  of  great  advantage,  as  they  can  earn  more  money, 
and  it  gives  them  wider  influence.  Acquaintance  with 
foreign  languages  and  ideas,  and  an  enlargement  of  men- 
tal vision,  leads  them  to  discard  the  worship  of  idols. 
They  discover  that  the  priests  are  ignorant  and  lazy,  liv- 
ing upon  the  people,  and  doing  no  good.  In  the  country 

19  BB 


434 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


the  priests  have  great  influence,  but  in  Nagasaki  they  are 
looked  upon  as  burdens  upon  the  community.  • 

Our  course  for  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  is  along  the 
western  shore  of  Kiusiu.  The  climate  of  this  region  is 
variable,  but  far  more  healthy  than  the  corresponding 
coast  of  China.  The  country  is  well  wooded,  owing  to 
the  care  taken  by  the  government  to  preserve  the  forests. 
People  are  not  allowed  to  cut  down  a tree  in  this  part  of 
the  empire  until  they  have  planted  one  to  take  its  place. 
Extensive  forests  exist  in  the  northern  islands,  where 
there  is  a scanty  population,  and  the  law  is  not  enforced 
in  that  section.  The  bamboo,  pine,  and  oak  grow  side  by 
side,  and  present  by  their  great  contrast  a pleasing  feature 
in  the  landscape. 

The  approach  to  the  Straits  of  Si-mo-na-sa-ki,  through 
which  we  reach  the  Inland  Sea,  is  marked  by  a great 
number  of  junks  and  boats  under  sail.  It  is  the  great 
water-way  of  the  empire,  the  passage  between  Niphon 
and  Kiusiu.  We  have  been  sailing  north,  and  now  at  our 
right  is  the  island  of  Siro-sima,  distinguished  by  rocks 
which  rise  perpendicularly  three  hundred  feet  from  the 
sea,  seamed,  scarred,  worn  by  the  waves,  crumbled  by 
storms  and  shaken  by  earthquakes.  We  look  into  deep 
caverns,  and  hear  the  surf  thundering  in  the  grottos. 
Thousands  of  sea-fowl  have  their  homes  in  the  clefts. 
Passing  on,  rounding  the  island  of  Piokuren,  a Paradise  of 
itself,  clothed  with  trees,  shrubs,  long  rank  grass,  flow- 
ers of  every  hue,  we  enter  the  narrow  straits  and  sail  up 
a tortuous  channel. 

On  the  southern  main-land  is  the  town  of  Kokura, 
where  a silver  stream  falls  into  the  sea  after  leaping  and 
laughing  its  way  from  the  mountain  summits,  which  rise 
four  thousand  feet  above  us.  The  hillsides  are  beautifully 
terraced,  set  off  with  shrubbery,  groves,  orchards,  houses 
in  sunny  nooks,  and  a cemetery  with  white  headstones. 


THROUGH  THE  INLAND  SEA. 


435 


People  from  the  town  are  strolling  along  a sandy  beach 
and  hundreds  of  boats  are  dancing  on  the  waves  in  a 
sheltered  cove. 

We  sweep  past  numerous  islands,  green  gems  on  the 
glassy  deep,  and  catch  glimpses  of  pleasant  homes, — 
snug  cottages  almost  hid  from  sight  by  the  dense  foliage 
of  overhanging  trees. 

The  Japanese  do  not  worship  their  ancestors,  as  is  the 
case  with  the  Chinese,  hut  the  teachings  of  Confucius 
have  left  a deep  impression  on  this  people.  A modified 
form  of  the  Confucian  religion  prevails  to  some  extent. 
Buddhist  and  Sinto  worshippers  alike  reverence  the  dead, 
and  the  most  charming  spots  are  selected  on  the  hillsides 
for  their  places  of  sepulture.  The  graves  are  carefully 
tended. 

A funeral  procession,  the  mourners  in  white  robes,  is 
winding  up  a narrow  path.  The  Japanese  deem  white 
the  most  appropriate  color  to  be  worn  while  in  mourning. 
The  dead  are  usually  buried  at  sunset.  Two  pieces  or 
joints  of  bamboo  are  placed  before  the  grave  to  hold  the 
flowers,  which  are  brought  fresh  from  the  garden  every 
morning,  and  flowering  plants  and  shrubs  are  planted 
in  the  cemeteries.  In  this  respect  the  Japanese  show 
a higher  degree  of  refinement  than  any  other  Eastern 
nation. 

The  higher  classes  do  not  appear  in  public  during  the 
period  of  mourning.  They  give  no  feasts,  entertain  no 
company,  and  only  are  seen  while  decorating  the  graves 
with  fresh  flowers.  The  bridal  veil  is  the  shroud  of  mar- 
ried women  at  their  decease.  If  a husband  or  wife  dies, 
space  is  always  left  in  the  cemetery  for  the  surviving 
partner. 

The  Sintoos  believe  that  the  spirit  at  death  passes  at 
once  to  a place  of  happiness  or  misery,  to  be  punished 
or  rewarded  according  to  the  deeds  of  the  present  life. 


436 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


According  to  Chinese  history,  the  Sintoo  religion  pre- 
vailed before  the  children  of  Israel  received  a code  of 
laws  on  Mount  Sinai.  If  this  is  true,  the  doctrine  of 
rewards  and  punishments  in  the  future  life  was  not 
any  monkish  idea  introduced  from  Europe.  A thousand 
years  before  Plato  discoursed  of  the  immortality  of  the 
soul,  the  philosophers  of  Japan  talked  of  the  future  life. 
Conscience  entered  into  their  philosophy.  Death  was 
not  sleep.  They  had 

“ That  dread  of  something  after  death.” 

In  the  month  of  August  a festival  is  held,  during  which 
the  spirits  of  the  dead  are  supposed  to  revisit  the  earth. 
Tombs,  trees,  gardens,  houses,  are  illuminated  with  lan- 
terns of  every  hue.  It  is  a joyful  night. 

“ Then  the  forms  of  the  departed 
Enter  at  the  open  door.” 

On  the  second  evening  the  spirits  return  to  their  shad- 
owy land,  which  lies  somewhere  beyond  the  sea.  With 
much  ceremony,  little  paper  boats  are  borne  to  the  sea- 
side, lighted  tapers  placed  within^  and  the  tiny  craft 
launched  upon  the  waves. 

The  straits  are  not  more  than  half  a mile  wide,  and  at 
this  narrow  crossing  we  see  the  Tolmido,  or  imperial  high- 
way of  the  empire,  which  extends  to  Yedo.  Each  damio 
keeps  it  in  repair  in  his  own  territory.  Tea-houses  and 
inns  are  established  at  regular  intervals.  The  road  is 
twenty  feet  wide,  built  three  centuries  ago  ; macadamized 
three  hundred  years  before  McAdam  thought  of  using 
pounded  stone  for  highways. 

Upon  the  northern  side  of  the  straits  is  the  large  town 
of  Chofu,  the  capital  of  damio  Choisiu.  In  1864  he  un- 
dertook to  levy  a contribution  upon  ships  going  through 
the  straits,  and  fired  upon  the  American  bark  Pembroke 


THROUGH  THE  INLAND  SEA. 


437 


from  the  batteries  which  we  see  along  the  water,  under 
the  shade  of  the  trees.  The  United  States  ship-of-war 
Wyoming,  Captain  McDougal,  was  at  Yokohama,  and 
came  down  to  see  about  it.  Choisiu  had  two  gunboats 
at  anchor  in  front  of  the  town,  and  opened  fire  from  them 
and  from  all  his  batteries.  Captain  McDougal  steamed 
between  the  town  and  the  gunboats,  ran  alongside  the 
latter,  sent  them  to  the  bottom  and  steamed  back  again, 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.  This  was  in  July,  and  in 
September,  the  damio  still  being  insolent,  the  allied  fleet 
at  Yokohama  came  down  and  silenced  his  batteries  and 
brought  him  to  terms. 


THE  CANGO. 


The  common  mode  of  travelling,  by  the  poor  classes,  is 
on  foot  or  horseback.  Ladies  of  the  higher  classes  ride  in 
the  cango,  borne  by  two  coolies,  as  seen  in  the  accom- 
panying illustration.  The  back  is  slightly  inclined  ; but 
as  the  space  is  contracted,  the  occupant  is  obliged  to  sit 


438 


OUK  NEW  WAY  BOUND  THE  WORLD. 


cross-legged,  or  with  the  knees  in  close  proximity  to  the 
chin. 

The  damios  and  their  wives  are  carried  in  the  no- 
rimon,  which  is  much  like  an  East  India  palankeen. 
The  roads  which  lead  from  the  Takaid©  to  the  towns 
in  the  interior  are  mere  paths,  traversed  by  people  on 
foot,  or  riding  the  small,  kicking,  vicious  ponies  of  the 
country. 

We  have  entered  the  narrow  passage,  called  the  Inland 
Sea,  which  separates  the  island  of  Iviusiu  from  Niphon. 
It  is  rather  a succession  of  broad  sheets  of  water  connect- 
ed by  narrow  straits.  The  Japanese  word  Nada  means 
sea,  and  in  sailing  east  we  pass  first  through  the  Iyo-nada, 
then  the  Bingo-nada,  the  Harima-nada,  and  the  Isumi- 
nada,  so  named  from  the  damios  whose  districts  border 
on  the  passage. 

We  enter  the  Straits  of  Si-mo-na-sa-ki  at  sunset,  and 
during  the  night  our  course  is  across  the  Iyo-nada.  We 
see  the  dim  outline  of  mountains  in  the  distance.  The 
waters  are  as  calm  and  peaceful  as  a forest-sheltered 
pool. 

We  are  aroused  from  sleep  in  the  early  morning  by 
the  voice  of  the  mate.  “ If  you  want  to  gaze  upon 
the  loveliest  scenery  in  the  world,  now  is  your  time,” 
he  says,  with  his  lips  to  the  key-hole  of  our  state-room 
door. 

Reaching  the  deck  we  behold  the  glories  of  the  In- 
land Sea  in  the  light  of  the  approaching  dawn.  Our 
course  is  towards  the  rising  sun.  Before,  behind,  on 
either  hand,  and  beneath  us  in  the  unruffled  .depths, 
we  see  the  beauty  of  a thousand  isles.  Some  of  them 
are  but  specks  on  the  water,  — emerald  gems  in  set- 
ting of  polished  silver.  Others  are  of  larger  area,  with 
whitened  shores  washed  by  the  ebbing  and  flowing 
tides.  There  are  fields,  forests,  wooded  hills,  shaded 


THROUGH  THE  INLAND  SEA. 


439 


ravines,  and  mountain  cliffs,  — a panorama  painted  by 
a Hand  divine  ! 

It  is  more  than  a panorama.  Its  loveliness  far  surpasses 
all  artistic  skill.  It  is  a palace,  with  court,  hall,  drawing- 
room, chamber,  and  corridor.  But  what  conception  of 
man  can  imitate  such  a design ! What  artistic  cunning 
can  fashion  in  mullioned  window,  hooded  porch,  lofty 
portal,  by  corbel  or  gargoyle,  such  beauty  as  that  in 
the  groves  of  pine  and  palm  that  crown  the  hills  and 
adorn  the  slopes  ! 

Or  shall  we  liken  it  to  a cathedral  ? This  narrow  pas- 
sage between  these  two  green  islands,  where  the  hills  rise 


THE  INLAND  SEA. 


to  the  magnitude  of  mountains,  is  the  western  gateway  ? 
We  gaze  entranced  down  transept  and  nave,  into  chapel 
and  choir,  up  to  domes,  turrets,  towers,  and  pinnacles,  with 


440 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


such  mural  painting  as  never  yet  was  attempted  by  old 
masters. 

What  chancel,  or  oratory,  or  approach  to  high  altar,  so 
gorgeous  as  this  sapphire  sea,  rippled  with  silver  and 
flooded  with  golden  light ! Comparison  fails.  We  can 
only  gaze  entranced  before  the  ever-changing  loveliness. 
We  dream  of  Arcadian  scenes,  and  listen  to  hear,  as 
Ulysses  heard,  the  song  of  sirens  on  the  shore,  or  fairies 
of  the  sea  calling  from  the  sylvan  shades  : — 


“ Mariner,  mariner,  furl  your  sails, 

For  here  are  the  blissful  downs  and  dales. 

And  merrily,  merrily  carol  the  gales, 

And  the  spangle  dances  in  bight  and  bay. 

And  the  rainbow  forms  and  flies  on  the  land, 
Over  the  islands  free ; 

And  the  rainbow  lives  in  the  curves  of  the  sand. 
Hither,  come  hither  and  see  1 ” 


We  gaze  upon  the  changing  views  till  eyes  grow  weary, 
wishing  that  all  our  friends  might  behold  the  indescriba- 
ble glories  of  this  Inland  Sea. 


LL  day  long  we  have  been  in  sight  of  countless  sails, 


— junks  and  fishing-boats,  rudely  constructed,  with 
lofty  quarter-decks  and  an  immense  amount  of  ^idder. 
We  have  been  steaming  at  the  rate  of  eleven  knots  an 
hour,  but  have  not  for  a moment  lost  sight  of  the  junks. 
We  count  over  five  hundred  under  sail  at  once,  while 
other  hundreds  are  at  anchor  or  drawn  up  in  coves  and 
under  the  lee  of  islands.  The  presence  of  such  a number 


CHAPTER  LY. 


11IOGO 


hiogo. 


441 


of  sailing  craft  is  sufficient  of  itself  to  indicate  a dense 
population. 

The  shores  are  dotted  with  towns  and  villages,  and  the 
country  is  under  high  cultivation.  The  wheat  and  barley 
crops  have  been  harvested ; the  rice-fields  are  of  the  rich- 
est green,  the  stalks  knee-high,  and  the  crop  will  be  gath- 
ered in  season  to  be  followed  by  turnips. 

We  are  approaching  the  town  of  Hiogo,  which  is  sit- 
uated on  the  southern  shore  of  Niphon,  about  two  hun- 
dred miles  south  of  Yedo  by  land,  three  hundred  and 
seventy  by  sea.  It  was  opened  to  foreign  trade  in  Janu- 
ary, 1868,  under  the  treaty  of  1858. 

It  is  located  on  the  western  side  of  the  bay  with  a high 
mountain  behind  it. 

Nearing  the  harbor  we  see  green  fields,  pastures,  moun- 
tain ridges,  ravines,  groves,  peasants’  huts,  and  discern  a 
forest  of  masts  through  the  smoky  atmosphere,  steam 
past  a martello  tower  of  hewn  stone,  with  cannon  in  the 
embrasures,  and  come  to  anchor  amid  a fleet  of  war  ves- 
sels, — four  American,  three  English,  two  French,  one 
Prussian,  and  a half-dozen  Japanese. 

This  is  the  port  of  Osaka,  one  of  the  great  cities  of  the 
empire,  lying  fourteen  miles  east  of  us,  on  the  other  side 
of  the  bay.  The  water  is  not  deep  enough  to  permit 
vessels  to  approach  the  city,  and  Hiogo  has  become  the 
place  for  foreign  trade.  Osaka  is  the  Venice  of  Japan, 
situated  in  a meadow,  a river  winding  through  it,  besides 
being  traversed  by  numerous  canals.  A gentleman  who 
has  visited  the  city  says  that  there  are  over  four  hundred 
bridges  across  the  river  and  canals.  They  are  all  of  stone, 
and  some  of  them  of  elaborate  workmanship  and  fine  ar- 
chitectural beauty.  It  has  for  a long  time  been  a favorite 
dwelling-place  of  the  damios,  or  princes,  who  have  their 
palaces  along  the  banks  of  the  main  river,  each  with  its 
well-kept  garden,  with  broad  flights  of  stone  steps  extend- 
ing down  to  the  water. 


442 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


There  is  no  resemblance  between  this  city  and  Venice, 
except  in  the  means  of  water  communication,  — no  such 
old  palatial,  imposing  edifices  as  those  upon  the  Grand 
Canal  of  the  city  of  the  Doges,  no  such  wonderful  temple 
as  the  Cathedral  St.  Mark’s,  with  three  thousand  years  of 
genius  in  its  walls.  It  is  a city  of  half  a million  inhab- 
itants, with  five  hundred  temples. 

The  inhabitants  are  largely  engaged  in  the  manufacture 
of  cotton  goods,  silk,  sugar,  paper,  oil,  and  products  of 
flax. 

The  tradesmen  and  mechanics  have  their  mutual-aid 
societies,  which  have  been  organized  for  centuries.  This 
feature  of  modern  civilization  — the  brotherhood  of  man 
— is  not  wholly  of  Western  origin. 

The  country  around  Osaka  is  fertile  and  densely  settled. 
Foreign  merchants  at  Hioko  are  confident  that  a large  and 
lucrative  trade  will  spring  up  at  this  port,  and  they  are 
already  looking  forward  to  the  time  when  a railroad,  run- 
ning along  the  sea-shore,  will  connect  it  with  Osaka.  The 
Tocaido  passes  through  Hiogo.  ' 

The  climate  is  delightful,  the  harbor  spacious  and  deep 
enough  for  the  largest  ships,  and,  being  in  the  Inland  Sea, 
is  thoroughly  protected  from  storms.  It  is  only  about 
thirty  miles  from  Kioto,  the  capital  of  the  Mikado,  or 
Emperor. 

A brawny  Japanese  boatman  takes  us  ashore,  and  we 
saunter  along  the  streets,  followed  by  a crowd,  curious  to 
see  the  ladies  of  our  party. 

If  we  enter  a shop,  they  gather  at  the  door,  blocking 
the  street.  Our  ladies  are  looking  for  curiosities,  but 
they  themselves  are  the  curiosities  of  the  moment.  A 
woman  walking  on  pattens,  and  carrying  a child  on  her 
back,  gazes  with  laughing  eyes  and  smiling  face  at  the 
ladies  of  our  party.  Feminine  curiosity  is  as  marked  here 
as  at  Nagasaki. 


HIOGO. 


443 


Avoiding  the  increasing  multitude,  we  gain  the  sub- 
urbs of  the  town,  pass  up  an  avenue  bordered  by  hedges 
and  bounded  by  rice-fields,  irrigated 
by  water  drawn  from  numerous 
wells. 

On  our  return  we  stop  at  a tea- 
house to  refresh  ourselves  with  a 
cup  of  Japanese  tea.  The  proprietor 
is  delighted  to  have  his  establish- 
ment patronized  by  foreigners,  ar- 
ranges seats  for  us,  brings  out  his 
best  china,  passes  the  cups  around 
on  a highly  ornamented  tray,  fills 
them  again  and  again  from  a porce- 
lain pot,  smiles,  grins,  nods,  and 
winks  his  pleasure,  gives  us  all  we 
can  possibly  swallow,  and  thinks 
himself  well  paid  with  four  cents 
for  twenty  cups ! 

His  tea-houses  and  gardens  are 
hung  with  enormous  paper  lan- 
terns of  red,  green,  blue,  casting  rainbow  hues  upon  the 
people,  who  sit  beneath  the  trees  through  the  evening 
sipping  tea,  winding  up  with  a glass  of  saki, — rice 
liquor,  — and,  since  the  foreigners  came,  with  whiskey 
and  brandy,  that  sets  them  whooping  like  Indians  on 
the  war-path.  From  this  we  see  how  rapidly  they  are 
advancing  in  civilization  ! 

A walk  of  a mile  brings  us  to  a temple  dedicated  to 
the  Goddess  of  Agriculture,  — not  to  the  Ceres  of  the 
Grecian  Pantheon,  but  to  the  Sun,  which  in  Japan  is 
regarded  as  a female  deity. 

The  temple  has  a tiled  roof;  but  tiles,  woodwork,  posts, 
all  are  highly  ornamented.  A bell  is  suspended  over  the 
entrance.  There  is  an  altar  on  which  the  worshippers  lay 
their  offerings  of  fruit,  flowers,  or  money. 


444 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  trees  around  the  temple  are  hung  with  slips  of 
paper  printed  with  prayers,  requesting  the  deity  to  give 


TEMPLE  TO  THE  SUN  GODDESS. 


a good  yield  of  rice.  The  Hiogo  traders,  like  their  Chris- 
tian brethren  in  Western  lands,  have  an  eye  to  business, 
and  have  even  stuck  up  their  advertisements  on  the  posts 
of  the  temple.  One  man  informs  the  public  that  he  has 
lime  for  sale ; literally,  “ stone  fire-ashes,”  or  ashes  of 
stone.  A worshipper  is  at  his  evening  devotion  walking 
round  the  temple,  touching  the  bell  at  every  circuit. 
Step,  motion,  action,  look,  feature,  all  indicate  his  zeaL 
He  goes  as  if  on  a wager. 

A woman  enters  the  court,  touches  her  forehead  to  the 
altar,  commences  her  walk  round,  round,  round  again, 
touching  the  altar  and  the  bell  at  every  turn. 

Outside  the  gate,  not  three  steps  from  the  avenue,  a 
priest  is  taking  his  bath  in  a tub,  with  no  more  sense 
of  modesty  than  the  stone  post  against  which  he  leans. 

Here,  as  at  Nagasaki,  we  see  members  of  families  bath- 
ing together  in  their  own  houses,  or  in  the  public  bath 
with  their  neighbors. 


HIOGO. 


445 


The  Japanese  are  affectionate.  Among  the  higher 
classes,  it  is  said,  that  men  who  have  offended  the  laws 
have  killed  themselves  by  Harrlcari,  or  “ happy  despatch,” 
that  the  punishment  of  the  offence  might  not  fall  upon 
their  children  and  friends.  It  is  a point  of  honor  among 
high  officials  to  rip  themselves  open  if  they  incur  the  dis- 
pleasure of  the  Tycoon  or  Mikado.  By  so  doing,  the 
family  does  not  suffer,  and  not  unfrequently  a son  is  ad- 
vanced by  having  so  honorable  a father  ! 

The  Japanese  are  social  in  their  habits,  and  visit  not 
only  the  tea-houses,  but  the  fields  and  woods  in  company 
to  enjoy  each  other’s  society.  Picnics  are  common  at 
this  season  of  the  year.  A short  distance  out  from  Hiago 
there  is  a small  stream  leaping  down  the  hillside,  with 
shady  nooks  along  its  banks,  whither  the  Hiogans  resort 
for  recreation. 

The  ladies  take 
more  care  to  pro- 
tect their  faces  from 
the  sun  than  those 
of  America.  Their 
hats  are  more  ca- 
pacious than  the 
bonnets  worn  by 
our  grandmothers. 

They’might  be  used 
for  market-baskets. 

They  serve  the 
wearers  admirably 
in  all  weather,  alike 
protecting  from  sun 
and  rain.  No  won- 
der they  laugh  at 
the  diminutive  hats 
worn  by  our  ladies. 


WELL  PROTECTED. 


446 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Luncheon-baskets  are  as  common  here  as  in  England. 
It  is  not  unusual  to  see  a party  of  friends,  with  a lac- 
quered cabinet,  containing  plates,  bowls,  knives,  teacups, 
and  a basket  filled  with  provisions,  on  their  way  to  the 
woods  or  the  hillside,  where  the  entire  day  is  passed  in 
conversation,  reading,  singing,  playing  cards,  and  drink- 
ing tea  and  saki.  Sometimes  the  saki  turns  the  picnic 
into  a row,  and  the  return  is  very  much  like  the  going 
home  from  Donny brook  Fair. 

The  coolies  of  Japan  are  stout  fellows,  who  stagger 
through  the  streets  and  along  the  highways  with  im- 
mense burdens.  They 
wear  bowl-shaped  hats, 
and  are  better  dressed 
than  the  same  class  of 
laborers  in  China.  They 
are  noisy  while  at  work, 
and  very  savage  in  a fight. 
If  we  wish  them  to  hurry 
their  pace  while  riding  in 
a cango  we  shout,  “ Jigger ! 
jigger ! ” which  is  equiva- 
lent to  saying,  Hurry  up  ! 

The  distance  from  Hiogo , 
to  Yokohama  is  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty-five  miles. 
Our  course  for  eighteen 
miles  is  due  south,  then 
rounding  a sharp  point 
of  land  we  are  on  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  running  up 

PORTER.  ° 

the  eastern  coast.  The 
land  rises  abruptly  from  the  sea.  The  hills  are  as  green 
as  those  on  the  western  shore.  The  land  is  not  so  well 
cultivated,  and  the  people  not  so  numerous  as  in  other 


HIOGO. 


447 


sections  of  the  empire.  A gentleman  on  the  steamer, 
who  has  been  several  years  in  Japan,  assures  us  that 
the  population  of  the  empire  has  been  over-estimated ; 
that,  instead  of  containing  thirty  millions,  it  probably 
does  not  contain  more  than  eighteen  or  twenty.  An- 
other gentleman  puts  the  number  at  a still  lower  rate. 
This  eastern  section  of  Niphon  is  subject  to  earthquakes. 
We  pass  Siinoda,  the  port  opened  to  the  United  States  by 
the  treaty  negotiated  by  Commodore  Perry.  A large  por- 
tion of  the  town  was  shaken  down  and  the  harbor  filled 
up  by  an  earthquake  in  1864. 

Long  before  reaching  the  entrance  to  the  Bay  of  Yedo, 
Fusiyama,  “ The  Matchless  Mountain  ” of  Japan,  appears 
in  view.  It  is  sixty  miles  from  the  coast,  yet  the  captain 
of  the  Costa  Bica  informs  us  that  he  has  seen  it  when 
one  hundred  miles  at  sea,  or  one  hundred  and  sixty  from 
the  mountain. 

It  stands  alone  in  a broad  plain  with  an  elevation 
of  nearly  fifteen  thousand  feet,  rising  in  the  form  of  a 
cone.  It  is  an  extinct  volcano.  Its  last  eruption  occurred 
in  1707,  and  caused  great  destruction  of  property  and 
life  from  the  sudden  overflowing  of  lava.  Pilgrims  toil 
up  its  rugged  sides  to  pay  their  devotions  at  the  tomb  of 
Sinto,  the  great  sage  of  Japan,  who  was  buried  there 
three  hundred  years  before  the  time  of  Christ.  He 
founded  the  religion  which  bears  his  name,  and  which  is 
closely  allied  to  Buddhism.  It  is  the  prevailing  religion 
of  the  country. 

Off  the  entrance  to  the  hay  is  Yrie’s  Island,  named 
for  an  old  Dutch  admiral  who  sailed  these  waters  when 
Holland  was  the  only  nation  holding  commercial  inter- 
course with  Japan.  The  island  is  volcanic,  and  we  see 
a column  of  gray  smoke  ascending  from  the  loftiest  sum- 
mit. There  has  been  no  eruption  of  late  years,  but  the 
surrounding  country  shakes  from  time  to  time,  indi- 


448 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


eating  that  there  are  internal  commotions  not  far  distant 
from  this  vent-hole  in  the  earth’s  crust. 

The  entrance  to  the  Bay  of  Yedo  hears  some  resem- 
blance to  the  “Narrows”  of  New  York.  The  strait  is 
defended  by  earthworks,  along  the  beach  and  upon  the 
bluffs.  The  hillside  batteries,  if  mounted  with  heavy 
guns,  might  almost  command  the  channel 

A little  village  is  nestled  under  the  cliffs  of  the  western 
shore,  and  a large  fleet  of  junks  are  at  anchor  in  front  of 
the  town.  It  is  the  place  where  all  native  craft  bound 
to  Yedo  are  inspected  by  the  government  officials. 

The  bay  is  about  thirty  miles  in  length  and  twenty 
wide.  Yokohama,  our  destination,  is  on  the  western 
shore,  about  twenty  miles  from  the  entrance.  Pleasing 
views  meet  the  eye  as  we  approach  the  town,  — villages, 
grain-fields,  groves  of  pine,  with  Fusiyama  lifting  its 
crystal  crown  against  an  azure  sky.  Foreign  ships  mul- 
tiply around  us,  and  at  length  we  drop  anchor  amid  a 
large  fleet  of  war-ships  and  merchant-vessels  flying  the 
flags  of  nearly  all  nations. 


OKOHAMA  is  the  great  centre  of  foreign  trafiic  in 


Japan.  Its  situation,  only  twelve  miles  from  the 
capital,  and  in  one  of  the  richest  portions  of  the  empire, 
and  its  relations  to  San  Francisco,  Panama,  and  Puget 
Sound,  on  the  western  coast  of  America,  give  it  great 
prominence  as  a commercial  mart. 

There  is  excellent  anchorage  along  the  shore,  though 


CHAPTER  LYI. 


YOKOHAMA. 


YOKOHAMA. 


449 


when  a heavy  southern  gale  prevails,  the  ships  in  the 
harbor  are  somewhat  exposed.  The  place  first  selected 
by  the  foreign  powers  for  a port  was  Kanagawa,  which  is 
nearer  Yedo,  but  the  shallow  water  off  the  shore  decided 
them  to  locate  the  future  port  at  the  little  fishing  vil- 
lage of  Yokohama.  The  fishermen  had  built  their  huts 
on  a sandy  plain,  where  they  could  draw  up  their  boats 
on  a smooth,  hard  beach.  The  plain  was  bordered  on  the 
north  by  a marsh.  A creek,  winding  through  the  low- 
lands and  coming  out  to  the  bay  again,  enclosed  an  area 
of  about  three  hundred  and  forty  acres,  so  that  the  village 
was  situated  on  an  island.  South  of  the  town,  and  be- 
• yond  the  creek,  are  bluffs  of  yellow  earth,  from  whence 
material  is  obtained  for  filling  up  the  marshes. 

The  island  is  in  the  form  of  a rectangle,  and  has  a sea 
frontage  of  about  a mile,  along  which  the  residences  of 
the  foreign  merchants  are  erected. 

Although  ten  years  ago  it  was  so  insignificant  a place, 
it  has  now  a population  of  about  twenty-five  thousand. 
At  first  the  Japanese  were  afraid  to  settle  so  near  the 
foreigners  from  whom  they  had  Stood  aloof  through  all 
the  past;  but  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  trade 
overcame  their  timidity,  and  the  population  has  rapidly 
increased. 

The  western  half  of  the  town  is  occupied  by  the  for- 
eign merchants.  It  is  regularly  laid  out,  the  streets 
crossing  at  right  angles.  The  English  and  French  have 
secured  land  on  the  bluffs,  where  military  and  naval  hos- 
pitals have  been  erected.  A regiment  from  India  is  en- 
camped on  the  hills.  They  were  sent  for  by  the  English 
minister  a short  time  ago  to  defend  the  place,  while  the 
civil  war  continues  which  is  now  being  waged,  between 
the  northern  and  southern  damios. 

Two  moles,  which  the  Japanese  call  Hatobas,have  been 
constructed,  and  a portion  of  the  marsh  filled  up.  The 

cc 


450 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  houses  are  built  of  wood,  and,  as  at  Nagasaki 
and  Hiogo,  are  open  at  the  front,  with  lower  floors  raised 
a foot  or  two  above  the  ground,  and  are  neatly  carpeted 
with  white  matting.  The  shops  are  more  tastefully  ar- 
ranged than  at  Nagasaki.  One  shopman,  after  showing 
us  the  articles  which  he  has  for  sale,  kindly  takes  us 
to  the  rear  of  his  establishment  into  a garden,  • neatly 
and  tastefully  laid  out,  adorned  with  bronzes,  an  arti- 
ficial grotto,  fountains,  flowers,  shrubs,  and  twining 
vines. 

The  finest  bronzes  are  from  the  province  of  Couza,  which 
lies  in  the  interior.  Some  of  them  are  inlaid  with  silver 
in  arabesque  designs,  but  the  prices  asked  will  probably 
deter  most  travellers  from  purchasing.  Since  the  opening 


improvements  that  have  been  made  show  great  energy  on 
the  part  of  the  foreign  residents. 

Passing  along  the  street  we  see  a fire-engine ; its  con- 
struction will  be  seen  from  the  accompanying  illus- 
tration. 


FIRE-ENGINE. 


YOKOHAMA- 


451 


of  tlie  country  to  foreign  trade  everything  has  advanced 
in  price.  Articles  of  tortoise  and  ivory,  elaborately 
carved,  formerly  were  to  be  had  at  low  rates. 

Passing  into  an  adjoining  shop,  we  find  very  good  pho- 
tographs, taken  by  a native  artist.  The  wife  of  the  pho- 
tographer waits  upon  us,  and  is  pleased  when  we  purchase 
a picture  of  herself  wearing  a pannier,  with  her  back 
hair  neatly  combed  and  skewered,  as  will  be  seen  by  the 
accompanying  illustration. 

Panniers  have  been  worn 
here  from  time  immemo- 
rial; and  the  ladies  who 
sport  them  in  the  United 
States  are  following  the 
fashions'  of  Japan  instead 
of  Paris. 

The  foreign  trade  of  Yo- 
kohama is  steadily  increas- 
ing. It  consists  mainly  of 
raw  silk,  silk- worm’s  eggs, 
tea,  and  lacquer- ware.  The 
government  has  not  favored 
an  extension  of  the  trade  with  foreign  nations,  looking  upon 
it  as  a disadvantage.  They  do  not  desire  the  introduction 
of  foreign  goods,  believing  that  it  will  drain  the  country 
of  the  precious  metals.  Though  adopting  this  mercantile 
policy,  the  damios  in  power  have  spent  large-  sums  for 
foreign  vessels  of  war,  cannon,  and  military  arms.  Eng- 
lish and  American  ship-owners  have  done  an  excellent 
business  in  selling  old  steamers,'  several  of  which  are 
lying  in  the  harbor. 

Our  use  of  the  term  “ government,”  as  applied  to  that 
of  Japan,  is  liable  to  be  misunderstood.  Each  of  the  great 
damios  has  his  army  of  retainers  and  his  ships  of  war, 
and  gunboats,  some  of  which  did  service  as  blockaders 


THE  PANNIER. 


452 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


during  the  war,  and  others  as  blockade-runners,  are  owned 
by  different  damios,  who  have  united  their  forces  to  main- 
tain their  power. 

The  government  of  Japan  is  unlike  any  other  on  the 
face  of  the  earth.  In  some  respects  there  is  an  approach 
towards  the  old  feudal  system  of  Europe.  For  a long 
while  we  have  been  in  the  dark  in  regard  to  the  political 
status  of  the  empire.  The  treaty  negotiated  by  Commo- 
dore Perry  was  with  the  Tycoon,  as  also  were  all  subse- 
quent treaties ; but  last  year  the  foreign  ministers,  after 
getting  out  of  patience  with  the  dillydallying  of  the 
Tycoon  about  opening  the  port  of  Hiogo,  ascertained  that 
he  was  not  the  head  of  the  government.  To  understand 
the  organization  of  the  government,  we  must  go  back 
several  centuries,  to  the  time  whin  the  system  was  more 
feudal  than  at  present,  when  there  was  an  emperor, 
the  Mikado,  and  leading  princes  or  damios,  each  su- 
preme in  his  own  district,  but  owing  allegiance  to  the 
Mikado.  There  came  a time  when  one  of  the  damios 
obtained  great  power,  became  ruler  of  eight  districts,  and 
secured  a revenue  of  forty  million  dollars  per  annum ! 
He  became  the  executive  officer  of  the  empire,  wielded 
all  power,  was  in  effect  the  head  of  the  nation,  while  the 
Mikado  became  his  dependant,  was  supported  by  him, 
obeyed  the  Tycoon,  and  signed  such  documents  as  he 
required.  Ho  law  or  document  was  valid  unless  it  bore 
the  signature  of  the  Mikado,  — a fact  which  was  not 
known  when  the  treaties  were  negotiated. 

The  Tycoon  who  first  acquired  this  commanding  posi- 
tion was  of  the  Tokugawa  family,  and  the  law  of  succes- 
sion which  was  accepted  continued  it  in  the  family,  — 
each  appointing  his  successor,  and  keeping  the  other 
damios  under  control,  by  compelling  them  to  send  their 
wives  and  children  to  Yedo,  as  hostages  for  their  good 
behavior.  Yedo  is  the  Tycoon  capital,  while  the  capital 


YOKOHAMA. 


453 


of  the  Mikado  is  at  Kioto,  not  far  from  the  recently 
opened  port  of  Iiiogo. 

The  present  fight  is  between  the  North  and  the  South. 
The  Southern  damios,  Satsuma,  Choisiu,  and  Bizen,  and 
one  or  two  others,  each  of  which  have  a revenue  of  two 
to  three  million  dollars,  determined  to  break  down  the 
Tokugawa  family.*  Stotsbashi,  the  Tycoon  who  nego- 
tiated the  treaties, 
did  not  obtain  the 
signature  of  the 
Mikado  to  the  trea- 
ties, and  this  was 
held  to  be  an  un- 
pardonable offence. 

The  southern  da- 
mios did  not  revolt 
from  the  Mikado, 
but  with  the  Mika- 
do’s banner  above 
them  waged  war  up- 
on Stotsbashi,  who 
finally  resigned,  ap- 
pointing his  suc- 
cessor from  his  own 
family.  But  the 
southern  damios 
were  not  content 
with  driving  him 

individually  from  stotsbashi. 

power,  — their  ob- 
ject only  could  be  obtained  by  breaking  down  the  family, 
and  by  taking  the  government  into  their  own  hands. 
They  took  possession  of  the  Mikado,  — who  is  but  a boy, 
— issued  their  edicts  at  Yedo,  and  were  going  on  swim- 
mingly, when  one  of  the  powerful  Northern  damios,  Idsu, 


454 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


appeared  in  the  field.  He  informed  the  Southern  con- 
federates that  there  was  to  he  no  change  in  the  law  of 
succession.  He  rallied  the  other  Northern  damios,  and 
bloody  battles  have  been  fought. 

Before  Stotsbaslii  resigned,  he  fought  the  Southerners 
not  far  from  Osaka,  aided  by  some  of  the  Northern 
damios  ; hut  in  the  heat  of  the  battle  one  of  his  allies 
went  over  to  the  enemy  with  all  his  force,  and  Stotsbaslii 
was  utterly  routed.  He  fled  to  his  castle  at  Osaka,  then 
on  hoard  the  United  States  man-of-war  the  Iroquois, 
appointed  his  successor,  and  delivered  himself  up  to  the 
Mikado.  The  Southerners  confiscated  his  immense  es- 
tates, sent  off  his  relatives  into  the  South,  and  had  things 
all  their  own  way  at  Yedo.  Then  it  was  that  Idsu  ral- 
lied the  Northern  damios. 

An  immense  amount  of  military  supplies  have  been 
sold  to  the  contending  parties,  — Enfield  and  Spring- 
field  rifles,  breech-loaders,  revolvers,  rifled  cannon,  shells, 
and  solid  shot.  Each  party  has  its  navy,  — steamers 
sent  from  England  and  the  United  States,  for  which  the 
Japanese  have  paid  round  sums  of  money,  and  which  in 
a short  time  will  be  useless  hulks. 

It  is  not  a war  in  which  the  people  are  interested ; they 
care  very  little  about  it.  History  is  repeating  itself.  It 
is  like  the  dispute  between  York  and  Lancaster,  or  the 
old  struggle  of  France  as  to  which  party  shall  have  the 
Dauphin.  It  is  also  a question  of  the  supremacy  of 
climate,  race,  and  blood.  The  Southerners  are  from  a 
sunny  clime.  They  have  tropical  blood  in  their  veins, 
— a mingling  of  the  blood  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  Cen- 
tral Pacific  islands  with  that  of  the  aboriginals  of  the 
empire.  The  Northerners  are  from  a vigorous  clime ; 
they  face  the  cold  wintry. winds  which  sweep  down  the 
sea  of  Ochotsk  from  Kamtchatka. 

The  Tokugawa  family  came  into  power  about  the  year 


YOKOHAMA. 


455 


1128,  and  have  retained  it  to  the  present  time,  though 
there  have  been  several  revolutions.  What  royal  family 
in  Europe  can  boast  of  such  a duration  of  power  and  priv- 
ilege, or  show  an  annual  revenue  of  forty  million  dollars  ? 
Surely  there  are  some  wonderful  things  about  this  country, 
of  which  we  know  as  yet  very  little. 

To  the  botanist  the  flora  of  Japan  presents  an  interest- 
ing variety.  Camelias  and  azalias  are  common,  as  well 
as  a species  of  pine,  resembling  the  stone  pine  of  Italy, 
but  here  taking  the  form  of  an  umbrella.  The  Japanese 
are  experts  in  floriculture.  They  have  produced  many 
varieties  of  ilex,  and/  other  plants  of  the  same  order.  The 
florists  and  botanists  of  the  United  States  will  be  able  to 
obtain  new  variegations  from  the  gardens  in  the  vicinity 
of  Yokohama  and  Yedo. 

There  is  not  much  to  be  seen  in  the  vicinity  of  Yoko- 
hama, but  an  excursion  of  fifteen  miles  will  take  us  to  the 
ancient  city  of  Kamakura,  one  of  the  sacred  cities  of  the 
empire,  containing  a hundred  temples.  It  was  the  capi- 
tal of  the  empire  seven  centuries  ago,  but  since  the 
removal  of  the  Tycoon  to  Yedo  it  has  dwindled  to  an 
insignificant  place. 

Though  some  of  the  temples  are  in  ruins,  and  others 
closed,  there  are  objects  which  will  interest  the  tourist 
who  has  time  to  make  the  excursion. 

The  road  winds  through  a fertile  valley,  amid  green 
fields  and  shady  groves.  There  are  frequent  villages  and 
tea-houses  where  refreshment  may  be  obtained. 

The  old  city  is  located  in  a charming  valley  ; and  the  road 
leading  to  it  is  often  thronged  by  pilgrims  going  to  or  re- 
turning from  the  sacred  shrines.  It  was  made  the  Miaco, 
or  capital,  of  the  empire  in  1185,  by  a tycoon  named  Yo- 
ritomo,  one  of  the  heroes  of  Japan,  though  his  heroism 
consisted  mainly  in  bearing  down  all  opposition  and  hav- 
ing things  his  own  way.  Under  his  ride  and  that  of  his 
successors  it  became  an  opulent  city. 


456 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Civil  war  in  this  country  is  as  chronic  as  it  was  in  Europe 
under  the  feudal  system.  In  a struggle  for  power  between 
the  Northern  and  Southern  damios  which  occurred  in 
1333,  Yoshisata,  the  damio  of  the  province  of  Smitske, 
conquered  the  city,  put  a large  number  of  the  inhabitants 
to  the  sword,  set  fire  to  the  wooden  buildings,  and  pulled 
down  those  of  brick  and  stone.  From  that  time  to  the 
present  it  has  been  a ruin. 

At  thfe  present  day  Kamakura  does  not  differ  from 
Japanese  villages  in  general,  except  in  the  wideness  of 
some  of  its  streets,  — vestiges  of  the  original  plan  of  the 
old  capital,  — its  sacred  buildings  and  traditional  associa- 
tions. 

The  various  temples  and  shrines  — more  than  a hun- 
dred in  number  — are  distributed  widely  over  the  plain, 
but  the  largest  and  most  imposing  of  them  all  is  the 
Hacliiman,  erected  in  honor  of  a deified  hero,  who  is 
adored  by  the  military  class.  It  is  approached  from  the 
south  by  a straight  and  wide  avenue.  The  temple  is  en- 
tered through  the  gateway  of  the  “ two  kings,”  who  are 
represented  by  huge  dilapidated  wooden  figures,  with 
bows  and  arrows  for  weapons.  A large  bronze  bell  is 
suspended  in  one  corner  of  the  court.  It  has  a rich 
tone  ; and  when  the  air  is  still,  its  reverberations  are 
heard  floating  over  the  calm  waters  of  the  distant  bay. 
The  numerous  temples  of  Kamakura  are  mainly  of  wood, 
strongly  built,  and  variously  adorned,  especially  the  gate- 
ways and  cornices,  with  carvings  representing  fish,  birds, 
flowers,  and  dragons.  The  images  and  figures  when  new 
were  covered  with  gilt,  but  the  gold  has  become  dim,  and 
the  colors  of  vermibon  and  purple  have  faded  to  a dingy 
brown. 

About  a mile  southwest  of  Kamakura  is  the  famous 
statue  Dia-boots,  or  the  Great  Buddha,  in  a grove  of  bam- 
boos, oaks,  and  camelias.  It  is  one  of  the  most  remark- 


YOKOHAMA. 


457 


able  works  of  art  in  the  world.  It  was  erected  in  the 
twelfth  century,  while  the  city  was  the  capital.  When 
Kamakura  was  destroyed,  no  damage  was  done  to  the 
temples  or  idols. 

This  great  prophet  is  represented  as  sitting  cross-legged 
in  the  position  usually  taken  by  the  people  of  the  East, 
who  prefer  sitting  on  the  floor  rather  than  in  chairs.  The 
statue  occupies  a position  which,  like  the  colossal  figure 
representing  Bavaria  at  Munich,  shows  it  off  to  the  best 
advantage.  It  is  approached  by  an  avenue  leading  by  a 
flight  of  stone  steps  to  a platform  of  the  same  material 
about  four  feet  high.  The  figure,  which  sits  upon  tins 
granite  floor,  is  about  fifty  feet  high.  It  is  constructed 
of  bronze  plates,  so  closely  united,  and  presenting  so 
even  a surface,  that  the  joints  cannot  be  detected  with- 
out considerable  scrutiny.  The  circumference  of  the 
body  is  ninety-eight  feet,  its  jiose  three  and  a half  feet 
long,  the  ears  six  and  a half,  and  the  other  features  in 
proportion.  The  head  is  covered  with  curls,  of  which 
there  are  eight  hundred  and  thirty.  The  countenance  is 
of  a sleepy  cast,  representing  Buddha  in  mournful  medi- 
tation. The  interior  is  hollow,  and  contains  small  images 
of  Buddhist  saints.  Many  of  the  idols  of  Japan  are  rep- 
resented with  glories  encircling  their  brows,  like  those  so 
often  seen  in  Boman  Catholic  churches,  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  idea  was  borrowed  from  the  Jesuits. 

The  neighborhood  of  Kamakura  abounds  with  temples, 
which  are  surrounded  by  gardens,  and  a visit  to  the  local- 
ity will  well  repay  any  one  who  may  have  time  to  make 
the  excursion. 


20 


458 


OUE  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  LVII. 


YEDO. 


HE  capital  of  Japan  is  the  chief  point  of  interest  in 


the  eastern  section  of  the  empire.  It  is  a great 
disappointment  that  we  are  not  permitted  to  see  it,  hut 
all  foreigners  have  been  compelled  to  leave  on  account  of 
the  civil  war.  The  English,  French,  and  American  min- 
isters have  taken  up  their  residences  at  Yokohama,  where 
they  will  remain  till  the  conflict  is  over.  We  are  com- 
pelled, therefore,  to  rely  upon  gentlemen  who  have  resided 
in  Yedo  for  a description  of  the  city* 

It  may  he  reached  by  land  or  by  water.  The  last- 
named  mode  is  the  easiest ; but  a ride  on  a Japanese  pony 
over  the  imperial  road  will  enable  one  to  see  the  coun- 
try and  the  people. 

Permission  to  visit  the  city  of  the  Tycoon  must  be  ob- 
tained through  the  consul  at  Yokohama.  A guard  of  Yako- 
nins,  if  desired,  can  be  secured.  These  soldiers  are  re- 
tainers of  the  damios.  They  wear  two  swords,  and  are 
bloodthirsty  fellows,  who,  if  they  were  to  take  offence 
at  us,  would  not  hesitate  to  cut  off  our  heads  ; but  if  set 
to  guard  us  will  be  faithful  to  their  trust,  and  decapitate 
any  one  who  offers  insolence.  With  a squad  of  them 
for  a guard,  and  mounted  on  one  of  the  tough  ponies  of 
the  country,  the  traveller  bound  for  Yedo  will  have  a 
delightful  ride  up  the  Tocaido. 

Yedo  means  “ river  door.”  It  is  situated  at  the  head 
of  the  bay  at  the  mouth  of  the  “ Great  River,”  although 
in  the  United  States  it  would  be  classed  as  an  insig- 

* The  foreign  ministers  have  now,  May,  1869,  returned  to  Yedo. 


YEDO. 


459 


nificant  stream.  The  main  portion  of  the  city  is  built 
on  the  western  bank,  but  there  is  a large  suburb  on  an 
island  called  Hondjo. 


The  island  is  connected  with  the  main-land  by  four 
wooden  bridges,  firmly  though  rudely  built.  The  river 
is  a tidal  estuary  about  one  thousand  feet  wide,  in  which 
numerous  small  boats  and  junks  are  moored. 

The  imperial  road  as  it  approaches  the  city  becomes 
the  O-to-ri,  or  Grand  Street,  upon  which  are  numerous 
shops.  Crossing  a creek,  one  will  find  the  residences  of 
the  English  and  French  legations  on  the  left,  and  a little 
beyond  the  palace  of  Satsuma.  The  residence  of  the 
American  minister  is  still  farther  on. 

There  are  no  hotels  in  Yedo,  and  a visitor  will  be 
under  the  necessity  of  putting  up  with  such  accommoda- 


i 


460 


OUR  NEW  WAY  EOUND  THE  WORLD. 


tions  as  are  found  in  the  tea-liouses.  As  yet  liberty  lias 
not  been  granted  to  foreigners  to  reside,  outside  of  the 
legations,  but  the  restrictions  doubtless  will  be  removed 
upon  tlie  revision  of  the  present  treaty. 

Yedo  proper  is  divided  into  three  parts,  — tlie  Siro,  or 
Castle ; the  Soto-Siro,  or  Outside  of  the  Castle ; and  the 
Midzi,  consisting  of  the  town  a'nd  suburbs. 

The  Castle  is  a city  by  itself,  containing  the  palace  of 
the  Tycoon,  the  residences  of  the  three  brothers  of  the 
emperor,  the  members  of  the  council  of  state,  and  of 
about  twenty  of  the  high  damios.  That  portion  of  the 
Siro  which  contains  the  imperial  palace  is  surrounded 
by  a high  wall  and  several  canals,  which  the  public  are 
not  allowed  to  pass. 

These  royal  residences  have  none  of  the  magnificence 
of  the  palaces  of  Europe,  none  of  the  comforts  of  our 
own  houses.  A palace  in  Japan  would  be  considered 
rather  a mean  affair  by  most  Americans.  The  man  who 
earns  his  daily  bread  by  driving  the  plane  or  using  the 
trowel,  and  who  goes  home  to  a plainly  furnished  cottage, 
to  a table  spread  with  such  food  as  our  mechanics  pro- 
vide for  themselves  and  families,  who  lies  down  upon  a soft 
mattress  at  night,  has  far  more  comfort  in  life  than  those 
princes  of  the  empire,  who  sit  on  the  floor  at  meal-time 
and  make  it  their  couch  during  the  night,  with  only  a 
mat  for  a bed,  and  a wooden  block  for  a pillow. 

These  palaces  have  none  of  the  “ modern  conveniences,” 
but  without  and  within  are  cheerless  and  uncomfortable. 

That  portion  of  the  city  called  the  Soto-Siro  is  sepa- 
rated from  the  Siro  by  a canal,  and  from  the  island  of 
Hondjo  by  the  river.  The  canal  is  spanned  by  about 
forty  bridges.  Smaller  canals  intersect  this  portion  of 
the  city,  which  occupies  an  area  of  about  five  square 
miles.  One  of  the  bridges  bears  the  name  of  Niphon 
Bass,  or  “Bridge  of  Japan,”  which  is  considered  the 


YEDO. 


461 


centre  of  the  empire,  — all  distances  on  the  imperial 
road  being  measured  from  it.  This  section  contains  a 
large  number  of  houses  which  are  occupied  by  tine  small 
damios  and  their  retainers.  The  streets  along  the  river 
are  given  to  mercantile  pursuits.  There  are  five  run- 
ning parallel  with  it,  which  are  crossed  at  right  angles 
by  twenty  or  thirty  others,  forming  altogether  seventy- 
eight  municipal  districts,  separated  from  each  other  by 
wooden  gates  that  are  guarded  by  the  police,  who  in- 
stantly close  them  in  case  of  a riot. 

This  is  the  only  portion  of  Yedo  that  is  densely  popu- 
lated. Here  the  tides  of  life  flow  from  morning  till 
night,  but  the  other  sections  of  the  city  are  as  quiet  almost 
as  a country  village.  The  eastern  suburb  on  the  island, 
containing  an  area  of  seven  square  miles,  is  a retired 
locality.  It  is  traversed  by  canals,  which  are  the  bound- . 
aries  of  municipalities.  In  the  western  section,  upon  the 
streets  leading  to  the  bridges,  are  shops  and  warehouses. 
Farther  eastward  are  residences  of  merchants,  temples 
and  palaces  of  damios.  Each  palace  has  a garden  and 
pleasure-grounds  attached,  each  temple  its  grove. 

The  Midzi,  or  suburbs,  contain  an  area  of  about  twenty- 
four  square  miles,  in  which  are  palaces,  scattered  resi- 
dences of  merchants,  and  temples.  The  entire  area  of 
the  city  is  about  thirty-six  square  miles,  or  as  large  as 
the  townships  laid  out  by  the  United  States  in  the  survey 
of  the  public  lands. 

In  boyhood  we  learned  from  our  school  geographies 
that  Yedo  was  the  largest  city  in  the  world,  containing 
an  estimated  population  of  about  three  millions.  But  in 
superficial  extent  it  is  surpassed  by  London,  while  in  the 
number  of  inhabitants  it  is  excelled  by  that  city.  Pekin 
and  Paris  probably  equal  it.  If  Brooklyn  and  New  York 
may  be  reckoned  as  forming  the  metropolis  of  the  United 
States,  as  Ilondjo  is  considered  a part  of  Yedo,  or  South- 


462 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


wark  of  London,  then  New  York  will  rival  the  capital  of 
the  Tycoon. 

A large  portion  of  the  residents  are  retainers  and  ser- 
vants of  the  damios,  one  half  of  whom  by  law  must  re- 
side at  the  capital. 

There  are  eighteen  great  damios  and  three  hundred 
and  forty-two  smaller  ones.  Each  has  his  followers  or 
retainers.  Satsuma,  Bizen,  and  Chosu  each  have  about 
ten  thousand  followers.  Nearly  all  of  the  great  chiefs 
have  an  equal  number.  The  smaller  damios  have  each 
about  two  thousand.  The  followers  of  the  great  damios 
always  present  may  be  set  down  at  about  ninety  thou- 
sand, and  those  of  the  smaller  chiefs  at  three  hundred 
and  forty  thousand,  — a total  of  four  hundred  and  thirty 
thousand  soldiers  and  servants. 

This  .at  first  view  would  seem  to  warrant  the  conclu- 
sions which  geographers  have  arrived  at,  that  Yedo  is  the 
largest  city  in  the  world,  and  that  the  popidation  is  from 
three  to  four  millions. 

The  most  satisfactory  estimate  which  we  have  seen 
in  regard  to  the  population  of  this  capital  may  be  found 
in  a communication  made  to  the  North  China  Branch  of 
the  Asiatic  Society.  The  writer  resided  at  the  capital, 
and  had  made  a careful  estimate.  He  gives  the  follow- 
ing summary : — 


Followers  of  great  damios 

. 

90,000 

Followers  of  small  damios 

. 

. 342,000 

Imperial  officials 

. 

150,000 

Priests  . . » 

• 

. 200,000 

Residents 

• 

572,000 

1,354,000 

But  there  is  always  a large  floating  population  of  pil- 
grims and  country  traders,  estimated  at  about  two  hun- 
dred thousand.  The  most  liberal  estimate  gives  a mil- 
lion and  a half. 


YEDO. 


463 


The  description  given  by  a gentleman  who  has  long 
resided  at  Yedo  * will  enable  the  traveller  to  understand 
what  Yedo  is  : — 

“ On  arriving  in  the  city  itself,  however,  one  is  rather 
disappointed.  The  temples  disappear  behind  the  trees 
with  which  they  are  surrounded;  the  palaces  resemble 
scarcely  anything  better  than  large  fire-proof  warehouses  ; 
and  the  dwellings  of  the  merchants  and  other  citizens, 
though  extremely  clean,  are  small,  and  look  rather  poor. 
There  are  no  handsome  shops,  no  grand  estabbshments, 
no  triumphal  arches,  no  statues,  no  monuments ; • in 
short,  nothing  of  what  constitutes  the  beauty  of  our 
Occidental  capitals.  The  streets  and  quarters  belonging 
to  the  damios  are  almost  deserted.  The  mercantile  quar- 
ter, though  in  it  there  is  great  animation,  looks  neither 
rich  nor  handsome ; and  altogether  there  is  not  one  street 
in  Yedo  which  could  in  the  least  recall  such  streets  as,  at 
home,  we  expect  to  find  in  the  capital  of  a great  and 
powerful  empire.  When  riding  through  the  damios’  quar- 
ter, one  might  easily  fancy  himself  in  a great  and  wealthy 
village,  or  outside  the  park  of  some'  rich  proprietor ; and 
in  passing  through  the  mercantile  district  he  might  be- 
lieve himself  in  a manufacturing  city,'  crowded  with  a 
poor  population.  Yedo,  though  not  ugly,  certainly  does 
not  deserve  the  reputation  for  splendor  and  magnificence 
which  has  been  given  to  it  by  some  writers.” 

The  numerous  temples  in  this  great  city,  although  very 
much  like  those  at  Nagasaki  and  Osaka  in  their  general 
appearance,  yet  present  sufficient  variation  to  make  them 
interesting  to  the  traveller  who  wishes  to  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  habits,  customs,  social  and  religious 
life  of  the  Japanese. 

* Paper  communicated  to  North  China  Branch  of  the  Asiatic  Society, 
December,  1864. 


464 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTER  LVIII. 

FROM  JAPAN  TO  CALIFORNIA. 

HERE  are  no  steamships  afloat  that  for  comfort 


equal  those  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Company,  which 
ply  between  Hong  Kong  and  San  Francisco,  touching  at 
Yokohama. 

In  the  year  1865  Congress  appropriated  to  a monthly 
steam  line  of  first-class  ships  between  San  Francisco, 
Japan,  and  China,  calling  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  an 
annual  payment  of  five  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  ten 
years  for  carrying  the  mails.  The  contract  was  awarded 
to  the  Pacific  Mail  Company,  and  the  sendee  began  the 
1st  of  January,  1867,  steamers  leaving  both  ends  of  the 
route,  — the  Colorado  from  San  Francisco  via  Honolulu, 
and  the  New  York  from  Hong  Kong.  The  Costa  Rica  was 
put  on  to  ply  between  Shanghae  and  Yokohama,  connect- 
ing at  the  latter  port  with  the  New  York.  The  Costa 
Rica  at  that  time  made  the  trip  round  the  southern  point 
of  Japan. 

It  was  discovered  on  the  first  voyage  that  the  harbor 
of  Honolulu  was  not  deep  enough  to  float  vessels  of  five 
thousand  tons’  measurement,  and  authority  was  obtained 
for  a change  of  the  route.  The  service  to  the  Sandwich 
Islands  was  cancelled  in  consideration  of  its  extension 
through  the  Inland  Sea,  carrying  mails  to  Nagasaki. 
Five  round  trips,  including  branch  service,  were  per- 
formed the  first  year,  quarterly  trips  at  first,  and  then  one 
every  six  weeks.  Steamers  now  leave  both  ends  of  the 
route  once  a month.  The  monthly  service  began  June  1, 
1868.  Notwithstanding  the  great  distance  which  these 


FROM  JAPAN  TO  CALIFORNIA. 


465 


ships  have  to  run,  about  four  thousand  nine  hundred 
miles,  without  stopping,  and  with  little  prospect  of  trade 
at  first,  the  Colorado,  the  pioneer  ship  of  the  line,  instead 
of  losing  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  the  first  trip,  net- 
ted, we  are  informed,  some  sixty  thousand  dollars  over  all 
expenses.  From  the  start  European  travel  and  valuable 
light  freight,  such  as  bullion,  metals,  raw  silk,  spices, 
drugs,  fine  porcelain,  teas,  etc.,  have  rapidly  increased, 
and  the  line  has  proved  highly  remunerative,  the  net 
profits  the  first  year  on  five  round  voyages  being  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  thousand  seven  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  dollars  and  fifty-seven  cents. 

The  largest  portion  of  the  revenue  is  from  Chinese  pas- 
sengers, which  are  taken  from  Hong  Kong  to  San  Fran- 
cisco at  forty  dollars  per  head.  Each  eastward-bound 
steamer  carries  from  one  thousand  to  twelve  hundred. 
The  Chinese  do  not  go  to  the  United  States  to  remain, 
but  to  make  their  little  fortunes  and  return,  and  each 
westward-bound  ship  has  seven  or  eight  hundred  on 
board.  They  are  fed  on  rice,  fish,  pork,  and  beans. 

These  steamships  have  the  greatest  capacity  of  any 
afloat.  The  one  steamer  Great  Eastern  alone  is  larger. 
They  are  side-wheeled,  with  great  breadth  of  beam.  Four 
of  them,  the  Japan,  Great  Bepublic,  China,  and  America, 
have  each  a measurement  of  five  thousand  tons.  The 
engines  have  walking-beams,  and  are  of  fifteen  hundred 
horse  power,  which  may  be  worked  up  to  twenty-five 
hundred.  The  cylinders  are  one  hundred  and  five 
inches  in  diameter,  with  twelve  feet  stroke ; the  diame- 
ters of  the  wheels  forty  feet,  and  the  length  of  the  shafts 
sixty-seven  feet.  The  state-rooms  are  large  and  comfort- 
able, the  cabins  as  wide  and  ornate  in  finish  as  the  draw- 
ing-rooms of  a first-class  hotel.  The  hulls  are  of  wood, 
and  subdivided  by  bulkheads  into  water-tight  compart- 
ments. Should  fire  break  out,  thirty-two  streams  of  wa- 

20*  DD 


466 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


ter  from  force-pumps,  worked  by  the  engine,  may  be  put 
in  play  in  two  minutes. 

The  size  of  these  magnificent  steamers  gives  them  great 
steadiness.  The  rate  of  speed  is  the  same  as  that  of  the 
Peninsular  and  Oriental  ships,  — nine  and  a half  knots  an 
hour.  The  time  between  Yokohama  and  San  Francisco  is 
twenty  days.  It  might  be  made  with  ease  in  seventeen, 
but  at  a reduction  of  the  profits  of  the  company,  — the 
increase  of  a mile  or  two  per  hour  requiring  a much  larger 
consumption  of  coal. 

The  action  of  the  Pacific  Mail  Company  in  adopting 
side-wdieel  vessels,  when  all  European  companies  are 
building  screws,  has  been  much  criticised ; but  the  com- 
pany, looking  to  the  transportation  of  Chinese  emigrants 
as  the  chief  source  of  revenue,  chose  a model  which 
would  give  room  for  a large  number  of  steerage  passen- 
gers. 

The  steamer  which  bears  us  across  the  Pacific  is  the 
Colorado,  with  one  thousand  Chinese  emigrants.  The 
Great  Republic  lies  in  the  harbor  repairing  a broken 
shaft ; and  the  China,  twenty  days  from  San  Francisco, 
drops  her  anchor  while  the  Colorado  is  preparing  to 
depart. 

The  parting  gun  is  fired,  and  we  move  down  the  bay, 
but  are  brought  to  by  a boat  from  Admiral  Rowan’s  flag- 
ship. A search  among  the  Chinese  passengers  brings  to 
light  four  deserters,  who  are  taken  back  to  the  fleet,  and 
the  steamer,  resuming  her  course,  passes  the  entrance  to 
the  bay,  and  strikes  out  into  the  broad  ocean. 

We  have  forty  first-class  passengers,  sixteen  of  whom 
are  bound  for  Europe,  as  the  nearest  and  cheapest  way 
home.  It  is  the  beginning  of  the  tide  which  will  set 
across  the  United  States,  now  that  the  last  rail  is  laid 
between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific  Oceans. 

Our  course  is  straight  across  the  Ivuro  Siwo,  or  “ black 


FROM  JAPAN  TO  CALIFORNIA. 


467 


We  have  not  space  to  speak  in  detail  of  the  few  in- 
cidents of  the  voyage,  the  chief  one  which  relieves  the 
dull  monotony  being  a scrimmage  among  the  Chinese, 
which  is  suppressed  by  the  water  cure,  as  seen  in  the 
above  illustration. 

Sailing  vessels  are  not  often  seen.  Day  after  day  we 
look  out  upon  the  dreary  expanse  of  water,  with  nothing 
to  bound  the  sight.  We  tell  stories,  walk  the  deck,  doze 
away  the  hours,  read  till  weary,  watch  the  sparkling  foam 


current,”  that  flows  up  the  eastern  coast  of  Japan,  about 
forty  miles  per  day,  runs  to  the  Aleutian  Islands,  and  sets 
even  beyond  them  into  the  Polar  Sea. 

The  shortest  line  from  Hong  Kong  to  San  Francisco  is 
by  the  great  circle  which  follows  up  this  current,  then 
curves  eastward  and  southward  down  the  coast  of  Oregon. 
But  the  sea  is  more  boisterous  in  those  high  latitudes, 
and  the  steamships  strike  a direct  course  from  port  to  port. 
In  making  the  westward  trips  they  run  about  two  de- 
grees south  of  those  going  east. 


WATER  CURE. 


468 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


at  niglit,  gaze  upon  the  stars,  and  throw  crumbs  from  the 
table  to  the  keen-eyed  waterfowl  ever  hovering  along 
our  track. 

The  route  of  the  steamers  eastward  carries  them  about 
nine  hundred  miles  north  of  the  Sandwich  Islands.  The 
nearest  approach  to  land  is  when  passing  Hermes  Island, 
which  lies  two  hundred  miles  south  of  the  course.  It  is 
of  coral  formation  and  uninhabited.  The  company  have 
a small  quantity  of  coal  stored  there,  that  it  may  be  made 
available  in  case  of  emergency. 

Not  till  we  are  within  twenty-four  hours’  rim  of  San 
Francisco  do  we  behold  a sail.  It  is  a pleasing  sight, 
More  thrilling  is  it  to  behold  the  dark  outline  of  hills  and 
the  golden  gateway  of  the  continent,  feeling  that,  though 
we  are  three  thousand  miles  from  home,  we  have  reached 
our  native  land. 


CHAPTEE  LIX. 

CALIFORNIA. 

WHAT  a delightful  story  is  that  of  Aladdin  and  his 
wonderful  lamp  ! A gentle  rub,  a wish,  and  he 
had  all  his  heart’s  desire.  If  he  wanted  a palace,  it  ap- 
peared. The  advancement  of  the  fortunate  owner  was 
from  obscurity  to  renown,  from  poverty  to  affluence. 

This  fiction  has  ever  been  the  delight  of  the  Oriental 
story-teller.  Whether  rehearsed  beneath  the  tent  of  the 
wandering  Bedouin  in  the  heart  of  Arabia,  or  within  the 
gardens  of  Damascus,  perfumed  by  flowering  almonds  and 
pomegranates,  it  is  still  a most  charming  romance.  But 
here,  where  the  golden  gate  of  the  American  continent 


CALIFORNIA. 


469 


throws  open  its  portals  to  the  Orient,  it  is  no  longer  a 
fiction,  but  a reality. 

It  is  but  nineteen  years  since  the  shining  particles  of 
gold  were  discovered  in  the  rivers  of  this  State.  The 
country  then  was  but  little  better  than  a wilderness. 
There  were  wide  plains,  the  pasture-grounds  of  herds  of 
wild  horses ; and  snow-clad  mountains,  the  haunts  of  griz- 
zly bears  ; forests,  where  Indians  gathered  their  store  of 
acorns  ; and  sand-hills,  bare  of  vegetation.  Through  eight 
months  of  the  year  the  clouds  gave  no  rain.  The  sun 
shone  fiercely  during  the  summer  months.  The  grass 
withered,  the  ground  parched.  It  was  a forbidding  place 
upon  which  to  rear  a palace ; but  here  it  is,  the  most  won- 
derful edifice  in  the  world  ! 

It  is  not  necessary  that  we  should  dwell  upon  the  his- 
tory of  California,  — the  discovery  of  gold  on  the  Sacra- 
mento ; the  rush  of  miners,  around  Cape  Horn  and  across 
the  Isthmus  of  Panama ; the  fortunes  made  or  lost,  the 
crude  society,  the  founding  of  the  State,  and  its  unpar- 
alleled growth,  — for  the  events  are  recent,  and  every  one 
remembers  them. 

We  have  been  looking  at  old  pictures  of  Egypt,  India, 
China,  and  Japan,  covered  with  the  dust  of  ages.  In 
those  lands,  civilization  is  to-day  very  much  as  it  has 
been  through  twenty  centuries.  Sluggish  existence  there, 
intense  vitality  here. 

We  look  upon  a forest  of  masts  ; tow-boats  moving 
across  the  harbor,  with  great  ships  in  their  wake,  like  ants 
tugging  at  burdens  thrice  their  size  ; a city  spread  over 
the  hills,  house  above  house,  steeple  beyond  steeple ; 
steam  shooting  upward ; tall  chimneys,  sending  out 
clouds  of  smoke ; streets  crowded  with  cars,  omnibuses, 
coaches, -drays,  and  alive  with  human  beings.  School 
children  are  studying  their  lessons.  The  screaming  of 
the  locomotive  echoes  over  the  hills.  A dull  roar,  like 


470 


OUR  NEW  WAY  BOUND  THE  WORLD. 


that  of  Niagara,  falls  upon  the  ear.  Here  are  all  com- 
forts and  luxuries,  — fruits,  flowers,  paintings,  literature, 
science,  art.  Here  is  law,  religion,  liberty.  Wliat  other 
age  has  produced  so  magnificent  a structure  ? Is  not 
the  reality  more  wonderful  than  any  fiction  of  the 
Orient  ? 

California  is  about  seven  hundred  miles  long  and  two 
hundred  wide  ; or,  to  obtain  a better  idea,  it  extends  on  the 
coast  as  far  as  from  Boston  to  South  Carolina,  and  its 
breadth  is  equal  to  New  Hampshire  and  Vermont  together. 
It  has  a population  of  nearly  Half  a million.  San  Fran- 
cisco and  Sacramento  have  a population  of  nearly  one 
hundred  and  seventy  thousand,  leaving  about  three  hun- 
dred thousand  for  this  vast  area  of  country,  — as 
large  as  New  England,  New  York,  and  Pennsylvania 
together. 

The  development  of  this  State  is  unparalleled  in  his- 
tory. Look  first  at  the  gold  product,  — eight  hundred 
and  fifty  millions  of  dollars  ! The  total  amount  of  coin 
in  circulation  throughout  the  world,  before  the  discovery 
of  gold  in  California,  was  estimated  by  political  econo- 
mists at  three  hundred  and  twenty  millions.  We  have 
the  question  of  high  prices,  of  everything  we  eat  or  wear 
or  consume,  already  settled.  Australia  has  produced  five 
hundred  millions.  Fourteen  hundred  millions  of  gold 
have  been  added  to  the  bullion  of  the  world,  and  the 
result  is  a rise  of  price  in  everything.  It  is  not  the 
war,  not  greenbacks.  It  is  the  same  in  Europe,  in 
India,  China,  Japan,  as  in  the  United  States.  California 
and  Australia  are  at  the  bottom  of  all  the  mischief. 

The  product  of  gold  in  the  State,  which  formerly  was 
sixty-five  millions  per  annum,  has  fallen  to  about  twenty- 
five,  but  the  State  is  not  going  backward ; on  the  con- 
trary, the  development  never  was  so  great  as  at  the 
present  time.  There  is  more  wealth  in  the  fertile  soil 


CALIFORNIA. 


471 


of  the  plains  yet  to  be  transmuted  into  golden  grain, 
purple  grapes,  and  fabrics  of  silk,  than  has  been  taken 
from  the  mountain  gulches.  The  surplus  wheat  crop  of 
1868  brought  thirteen  million  dollars  to  the  people.  The 
export  of  all  products  amounted  to  seventeen  millions. 
The  grape-vines  yielded  three  and  a half  million  gallons 
of  wine  and  four  hundred  thousand  gallons  of  brandy. 
The  sheep  gave  up  about  ten  million  pounds  of  wool  to 
the  shearers.  The  manufactures  of  the  entire  State  are 
estimated  at  thirty  million  dollars  per  annum.  The 
increase  of  valuation  last  year  is  estimated  at  twenty- 
one  million.  The  assessed  property,  if  equally  divided, 
would  give  over  four  hundred  dollars  to  each  man, 
woman,  child,  Chinaman,  and  Digger  Indian ! 

There  seems  to  be  no  limit  to  the  grape  culture.  Vines 
grow  in  the  valleys  and  on  the  hills.  Six  or  seven 
million  gallons  of  wine  will  be  produced  this  season. 
It  has  been  discovered  that  a sea  voyage  gives  a 
peculiar  flavor  to  California  wine,  as  it  does  to  the 
wines  of  Europe.  Not  long  since  a gentleman  in  Berlin, 
who  had  received  an  invoice,  invited  his  friends  to  a 
party,  informing  them  that  he  had  some  hock  from  a 
new  vineyard,  which  needed  a name.  He  did  not  in- 
form them  that  it  was  from  America  till  after  they  had 
unanimously  pronounced  it  about  the  best  they  had  ever 
tasted.  The  result  is,  that  this  State  is  sending  wine  to 
Bhine-land ! 

The  cultivation  of  silk  has  become  a profitable  occu- 
pation. The  cocoons  produced  here  are  said  to  be  larger 
than  those  of  China.  One  great  advantage  which  Cab- 
fornia  has  over  China,  Japan,  Syria,  and  Italy  is  in  the 
steadiness  of  the  climate.  There  are  no  extremes  of 
heat  and  cold,  no  thunder-storms.  The  silk-worm,  es- 
pecially when  spinning  or  about  to  spin,  is  often  de- 
stroyed by  any  sudden  change  in  the  electrical  condition 


472 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


of  the  atmosphere.  California  is  singularly  exempt 
from  thunder-storms,  the  mulberry  flourishes,  the  climate 
is  equable,  and  all  conditions,  except  the  dearness  of  labor, 
are  favorable  for  the  cultivation  of  silk. 

Railroads  are  being  opened  throughout  the  State, — 
southward  to  the  rich  alluvial  counties,  eastward  and 
northward  to  the  mines  in  the  mountains  ; over  the  Sierra 
Nevada  range,  connecting  the  iron  network  of  the  western 
slope  with  the  vast  spider’s  web  of  the  Union. 

But  railroads,  wine,  wool,  brandy,  wheat,  and  fertile  lands 
do  not  alone  constitute  a State.  Education  and  religion, 
— the  school-house  and  the  church,  — are  vital  elements. 
Without  these  the  State  would  be  a Sodom.  The  found- 
ers of  this  Commonwealth  have  not  left  them  out.  The 
school  fund  already  amounts  to  one  million  dollars,  and  is 
rapidly  increasing.  Every  school  district  has  its  library, 
its  maps,  charts,  and  globes.  There  is  a State  Board  of 
Education  and  a Superintendent  of  Instruction. 

Climbing  the  steep  hills  over  which  the  city  is  spread- 
ing its  streets  we  reach  a school-house  where  the  voices  of 
eight  hundred  girls,  singing  their  morning  songs,  fall  upon 
our  ears.  Their  eyes  are  as  bright,  their  cheeks  as  bloom- 
ing, their  intellects  as  keen,  as  those  of  the  older  States. 
Transportation  to  this  side  of  the  Sierra  Nevada  lias  not 
diminished  the  iron  or  oxygen  in  the  blood  of  the  rising 
generation.  San  Francisco  has  the  school  system  of 
Boston.  Buildings,  discipline,  order,  advancement,  are 
similar.  Another  short  walk  brings  us  to  the  Lincoln 
School,  where  one  thousand  boys  are  obtaining  the  rudi- 
ments of  knowledge.  The  building  is  an  ornament  to  the 
city,  and  for  elegance  is  hardly  surpassed  in  the  country. 
The  cosmopolitan  character  of  the  community  is  seen  in 
this  school,  the  head-master  of  which  is  a Pole,  sub- 
teachers Americans,  the  teacher  of  music  an  Irishman. 
English,  Irish,  German,  French,  Italian,  and  South  Amer- 


CALIFORNIA. 


473 


ican  children  are  found  in  the  classes.  Notwithstanding 

O 

the  many  nationalities,  the  grand  machine  moves  without 
friction,  accomplishing  a mighty  work  for  the  millions  of 
our  land. 

The  city  has  a Normal  School,  one  for  the  education  of 
teachers ; a high  school  for  boys,  one  for  girls,  one  Latin, 
eight  grammar,  twenty-four  primary  schools.  In  1860 
the  number  of  children  in  the  city  under  fifteen  years  of 
age  was  12,116  ; the  census  of  this  year  gives  34,720,  — an 
increase  of  about  three  hundred  per  cent.  Twenty  thousand 
of  these  are  being  educated  at  an  annual  expense  of  three 
hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars.  The  principals  of 
the  high  schools  have  a salary  of  $2,500,  gold;  their 
female  assistants,  $ 1,200.  The  principals  of  the  gram- 
mar schools,  $ 2,100  ; sub-masters,  $ 1,500  ; female  assist- 
ants from  $ 600  to  $ 1,000. 

The  course  of  instruction  may  not  be  as  systematic  in 
the  United  States  as  in  Prussia,  but  it  is  less  mechanical. 
The  education  received  in  Germany  may  be  more  thorough, 
but  the  American  system  is  more  elastic,  and  fits  a 
scholar  to  adapt  himself  to  any  avocation. 

Our  visit  to  the  Lincoln  School  is  on  a day  when  the 
scholars  take  part  in  a general  literary  exercise.  They 
have  two  debating  societies,  and  the  question  for  discus- 
sion is  whether  Congress  was  justifiable  in  executing 
Major  Andrd  The  disputants  are  only  from  twelve  to 
fourteen  years  old,  and,  considering  that  the  subject 
embraces  points  of  military  and  international  law,  and 
is  of  a high  polemic  character,  it  is  well  handled.  The 
superintendent  and  a portion  of  the  school  committee 
are  present,  — gentlemen  who  are  elected  by  strict  party 
vote.  This  method  of  choosing  the  guardians  of  our 
schools  is  one  of  the  worst  of  our  political  practices. 
Not  unfrequently  men  are  elected  who  are  unfitted  to 
hold  the  position. 


474 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


At  tlie  conclusion  of  the  literary  exercise,  the  members 
of  the  committee  are  called  upon  for  speeches. 

There  are  no  foreign  visitors  present  to  listen  to  their 
rhetoric  and  oratory ; but  if  there  were,  they  would  not  be 
likely  to  go  home  with  exalted  opinions  of  the  tendency 
of  the  American  school  system.  One  red-faced,  burly  man 
makes  a grandiloquent  speech,  eulogizing  Nathan  Hale, 
the  patriots  of  the  Revolution,  and  glorifying  the  American 
eagle.  He  does  not  lose  the  opportunity  of  throwing 
stones  at  England.  It  is  a speech  best  characterized  by 
the  colloquial  term  “ splurge,”  suitable  nowhere,  not  even 
on  the  stump.  The  time  has  gone  by  for  arraigning 
George  III.  and  Lord  North  for  their  conduct  during  our 
struggle  for  liberty.  It  is  neither  politic,  wise,  nor  honest 
to  instil  into  the  youthful  mind  animosity  towards  Eng- 
land or  any  other  nation,  especially  for  acts  committed 
nearly  a century  ago.  This  is  a speech  by  an  individual, 
and  we  should  be  doing  injustice  to  the  community  in 
allowing  the  impression  to  go  abroad  that  all  gentlemen 
elected  to  the  guardianship  of  our  public  schools  were 
given  to  making  such  harangues.  “ Whenever  you  see  a 
head,  hit  it,”  is  the  rule  at  Donnybroolc;  and  it  is  a poor 
rnle  that  will  not  apply  to  America  as  well  as  to  Ireland, 
England,  India,  or  any  other  land.  For  this  reason  we 
speak  just  as  freely  of  what  we  see  in  San  Francisco  as  in 
countries  the  other  side  of  the  globe. 

If  this  people  have  developed  their  material  interests, 
they  have  not  neglected  the  intellectual  and  moral. 
Churches  abound.  The  pulpit  oratory  of  San  Fran- 
cisco is  not  surpassed  by  that  of  any  city  on  the  con- 
tinent. Sabbath  schools  flourish,  not  only  in  the  city,  but 
throughout  the  State.  What  other  country  has  had  such 
development  ? AVhat  other  has  such  a prospect  for  the 
coming  years  ? 

What  other  can  exhibit  such  variety  of  products, — 


CALIFORNIA. 


475 


animal,  mineral,  and  vegetable,  — wool  and  silk,  gold  and 
quicksilver ; wheat,  wine,  apples,  pears,  strawberries, 
melons,  peaches,  plums,  oranges,  lemons,  olives,  bana- 
nas ? Here  is  a commingling  of  temperate  and  semi- 
tropical  climes.  The  country  is  exceedingly  fertile,  the 
climate  delightful,  the  scenery  enchanting.  And  yet, 
looking  out  upon  the  fields  on  these  autumnal  days, 
everything  is  uninviting,  — grass  dry  and  withered,  the 
summer  flowers  dead,  the  leaves  of  the  live-oaks  gray 
with  dust,  the  ground  harder  baked  than  the  brownest 
loaf  that  ever  came  from  a baker’s  oven,  the  brooks  dry, 
the  rivers  shrunken  to  rivulets,  and  the  entire  country 
has  a thirsty  look  as  if  at  its  last  gasp.  But  the  rain 
will  be  falling  a few  weeks  hence : it  will  pour  from  the 
clouds  in  December  and  January,  and  the  ground  will 
drink  its  fill  for  another  season. 

What  a paradise  this  State  would  be  to  the  poor 
wretches  starving  out  a miserable  existence  in  the  cellars 
and  garrets  of  our  great  cities ! Here  are  millions  of 
acres  waiting  for  the  cultivator.  This  soil  has  untold 
riches  for  him  who  will  hut  cast  in  the  seed.  We  look 
forward  to  the  time  when  all  over  this  western  slope  of 
the  continent  there  will  be  farm-houses,  villages,  cities, 
schools,  churches,  and  all  the  elements  of  a civilization 
which  has  already  gained  a lofty  elevation,  and  is  mov- 
ing on  to  heights  yet  unattained. 


476 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


CHAPTEB  LX. 


YOSEMITE. 


BOUT  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  southeast  of  San 


Francisco  are  those  two  wonders  of  the  world,  “ the 
Big  Trees  ” and  the  Yosemite  valley.  They  are  most 
easily  reached  by  taking  a steamer  to  Stockton,  thence 
by  stage  up  the  San  Joaquin  valley.  There  are  two 
routes  by  which  Yosemite  may  be  approached,  but  we 
would  advise  all  tourists  to  go  by  Mariposa  and  return 
by  Coulterville.  The  distance  from  Stockton  by  Coul- 
terville  to  Yosemite  is  one  hundred  and  twenty-two  miles ; 
by  Mariposa,  one  hundred  and  forty-one ; but  the  first 
view  of  the  valley  on  the  Mariposa  trail  is  one  which 
never  will  fade  from  memory.  It  is  worth  a journey 
across  the  continent  to  behold  it. 

It  is  a tedious  and  dusty  ride  over  the  plains.  We 
cross  the  Stanislaus,  Tuolomne,  and  Merced  Fivers,  all 
affluents  of  the  San  Joaquin.  Nearly  all  the  towns 
through  which  we  pass  have  a seedy  look.  They  were 
thriving  places  fifteen  years  ago,  when  the  miners  were 
tramping  over  these  hills  and  valleys.  Now  we  see 
only  here  and  there  gangs  of  Chinamen  at  work  in  the 
sluices.  They  pay  four  dollars  a month  for  the  privi- 
lege of  mining  in  these  gulches,  which  have  already  been 
worked  over  several  times  ; but  each  year  brings  new  de- 
posits of  gold  from  the  mountains,  and  as  the  wants  of 
these  people  are  few,  they  make  a good  thing  of  it. 

Mariposa  is  a county  seat.  The  town  is  situated  on  a 
hillside  sloping  west,  with  a main  street,  a hotel,  livery- 
stables,  stores,  shops,  drinking-saloons,  a court-house,  small 


YOSEMITE. 


477 


church,  a quartz-mill  of  one  hundred  stamps,  its  engine 
motionless,  its  doors  closed,  and  an  atmosphere  of  dul- 
ness  pervading  the  place.  The  people  sit  in  front  of  the 
saloons,  when  they  are  not  inside  taking  a drink,  living 
on  expectations,  just  as  they  are  in  every  other  played-out 
mining  town  in  the  State.  They  are  discussing  the 
future.  The  railroad  is  coming ; crowds  of  tourists  will 
be  here ; the  quartz-mill  will  start  again  ; new  leads  have 
been  found ; better  days  are  at  hand.  So  they  comfort 
themselves. 

Here  we  take  saddle-horses,  with  a fifty-mile  ride 
before  us.  The  stage  usually  arrives  early  enough  in 
the  day  to  allow  travellers  to  go  on  to  Hatch’s  the 
same  night.  It  is  thirteen  miles  beyond  Mariposa,  in  a 
dense  forest  of  pines,  which  are  six,  eight,  and  ten  feet 
in  diameter,  and  some  of  them  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
high. 

In  such  a forest  our  host  has  reared  his  home.  Noth- 
ing can  be  more  delightful  than,  after  a brisk  gallop  over 
the  hills,  to  wash  off  the  dust  at  the  spring  pouring  out 
its  crystal  flood  in  rear  of  the  house,  sit  down  to  veni- 
son steak  and  mountain  trout,  with  whitest  bread  and 
preserved  fruits  prepared  by  the  charming  hostess ; and 
then  walk  in  the  cool  of  the  evening  beneath  the  grand 
old  trees,  where  the  solitude  is  so  profound,  and  there  is 
such  stillness  in  the  air  that  you  are  startled  by  your  own 
footsteps. 

Another  thirteen-mile  ride  in  the  morning  takes  us  to 
Clark’s,  whose  nearest  neighbor  is  Mr.  Hatch. 

Mr.  Clark  is  custodian  of  the  Mariposa  grove  and  Yo- 
semite  valley.  We  find  his  home  a long,  low  building  of 
rifted  logs,  a sitting-room  with  a great  fireplace,  where 
the  pitch  knots  blaze  in  the  cool  evenings,  with  shadows 
dancing  on  the  walls,  bringing  back  the  dreams  and  reali- 
ties of  boyhood  days.  Mr.  Clark  is  out  hunting  grizzly 


478 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


bears  among  the  mountains,  with  blanket  and  knapsack, 
to  be  gone  a week,  accompanied  by  another  hunter.  To 
these  woodsmen  there  is  no  pleasure  in  the  world  to  be 
compared  with  this. 

A party  of  Digger  Indians  have  been  out  after  a deer 
for  our  supper,  and  here  they  come  with  a fine  buck. 

An  old  squaw  has  lost  a pappoose,  and  has  put  on 
mourning  by  smearing  her  face  with  pitch  ! To  her  it  is 
as  sensible  and  appropriate  as  it  is  for  us  to  wear  black 
crape  or  for  the  Japanese  to  appear  in  white. 

It  is  five  miles  to  the  grove  of  big  trees,  though  there 
are  trees  all  around  us  which  would  be  called  big  in  the 
East.  We  climb  a mountain,  reach  an  altitude  of  seven 
thousand  feet,  our  horses  all  the  way  plunging  their  hoofs 
into  granulated  rock,  hardly  enough  decomposed  to  be 
classed  as  soil.  A few  minutes’  ride  down  the  south- 
western slope,  and  we  are  among  the  monarclis  of  the 
forest.  They  do  not  seem  to  be  at  first  sight  very  much 
larger  than  the  surrounding  pines,  and  it  is  only  by 
measurement  and  comparison  that  we  can  comprehend 
their  magnitude.  The  great  elm  on  Boston  Common 
is  between  six  and  seven  feet  in  diameter,  but  here  are 
six  hundred  trees,  the  smallest  of  which  is  twelve  feet 
in  diameter,  and  the  largest  thirty-three  ! The  measure- 
ments which  give  these  diameters  are  taken  one  yard 
from  the  ground.  Ten  feet  up  they  have  diminished 
about  one  third,  but  above  that  hold  their  dimensions  to  a 
great  height.  One  which  fell  many  years  ago,  from  which 
the  bark  has  crumbled,  is  now  thirty-three  feet  in  diame- 
ter, and  we  can  walk  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  along 
that  portion  of  the  trunk  which  has  not  yet  decayed. 
One  board  from  this  tree  would  be  sufficient  to  wall  in 
the  side  of  a meeting-house.  We  might  hew  from  this 
single  trunk  the  hull  of  a ship  of  greater  tonnage  than 
the  Santa  Maria,  in  which  Columbus  crossed  the  ocean ! 


YOSEMITE. 


479 


respect  changed  by  the  artist  from  the  original  in  onr 
possession;  and  yet  this  is  a tree  of  medium  size. 


One  larger  even  than  the  Mayflower  of  the  Pilgrims! 
Sit  down  and  look  at  the  monster  called  the  “Grizzly 
Giant.”  It  is  ninety  feet  uy  to  the  first  limb,  which  is  six 
feet  and  four  inches  in  diameter ! A limb  one  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  from  the  ground  has  been  broken  off 
thirty  feet  from  the  body  of  the  tree,  and  the  fallen  por- 
tion lies  before  us,  eleven  feet  in  circumference,  or  nearly 
four  feet  in  diameter ! There  are  thirteen  of  us  in  our 
party,  and  we  all  ride  into  the  burned  cavity  of  one  tree 
still  standing,  and  sit  there  upon  our  horses,  with  room 
for  six  or  eight  more  ! 

The  illustration  below,  showing  the  cavity,  is  engraved 
from  a photograph,  and  is  not  exaggerated,  or  in  any 


ONE  OF  THE  BIG  TREES. 


480 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


We  ride  thirty  feet  through  the  hollow  trunk  of  a 
fallen  tree,  as  if  it  were  a section  of  the  Thames  Tunnel, 
or  of  a tubular  railway  bridgQ  ! 

There  is  another  grove  in  Calaveras  County  where  the 
trees  are  loftier  than  these,  hut  of  less  circumference. 
There  are  several  other  groves  along  the  western  slope  of 
the  mountains. 

Our  wonder  at  the  magnitude  of  these  trees  becomes 
amazement  when  we  look  upon  the  cones  produced  by 
them,  and  find  they  are  not  larger  than  a hen’s  egg, 
and  the  seeds  a mere  speck.  It  would  take  a dozen  of 
them  to  weigh  down  an  apple-seed  ! Yet,  enfolded  in 
this  little  feathery  cell,  which  our  gentlest  breathing  will 
send  whirling  through  the  air,  is  another  forest  monarch 
as  mighty  as  these  around  us.  Drop  it  in  the  soil,  and 
hundreds  of  years  hence  it,  too,  shall  be  just  such  a won- 
der as  this,  within  whose  trunk  men  may  make  their 
home.  How  wonderful  the  chemistry  of  sunlight  and 
air  and  rain,  that  from  a tiny  germ  can  build  such 
a structure  ! which  can  set  its  millions  of  pumps  at 
work,  forcing  sap  to  the  topmost  twig,  distribute  it  into 
the  formation  of  fibrous  bark,  solid  wood,  and  resin  as 
clear  as  crystal,  with  sweet  and  fragrant  odors  ! There 
are  mightier  sermons  in  these  trees  than  ever  were  uttered 
by  human  lips.  Centuries  ago  they  were  just  thrusting 
their  spires  from  the  ground.  What  tides  of  human  his- 
tory have  rolled  away  since  then  ! They  do  not  set  us  to 
thinking  of  what  man  has  been  doing,  but  of  what  the 
Almighty  has  done.  These  are  the  survivors  of  an  almost 
extinct  flora,  — of  the  period  of  mastodons,  megatheriums, 
and  of  bullfrogs  weighing  a ton.  They  seem  to  be  out 
of  place  in  the  flora  and  fauna  of  these  times,  and  more  in 
keeping  with  the  extinct  monsters  of  those  primeval  years. 
While  they  remain  they  will  be  the  wonder  of  the  world. 

We  cross  the  south  fork  of  the  Rio  de  los  Merced, — 


YOSEMITE. 


481 


the  “ river  of  mercy,”  — which  has  its  source  amid  the 
gleaming  snow-fields  that  lie  around  the  loftiest  peaks  of 
the  Sierras.  Our  path  winds  up  the  eastern  side  of  the 
ravine  till  we  reach  a height  of  eight  thousand  feet,  and 
from  whence  we  look  over  the  surrounding  hills,  covered 
with  trees  of  such  magnitude  as  can  he  found  in  no 
other  portion  of  the  world.  What  wealth  of  verdure 
in  the  cedars,  as  gigantic  as  those  of  Lebanon  ; in  the 
pines,  two  hundred  feet  high  ; and  in  the  slender  balsam, 
whose  silver-tipped  leaves,  waving  above  us,  fill  this  tem- 
ple of  Almighty  God  with  health-giving  odors  ! The  sun- 
shine falls  through  leafy  boughs  across  our  path.  The 
swelling  hills  lie  all  around  us.  We  climb  their  slopes 
with  such  exhilaration  of  spirit  as  is  experienced  only 
when  we  leave  the  lowlands  and  rise  towards  heaven. 

We  descend  into  deep  dells,  exchanging  the  bright  sun- 
shine for  twilight  at  noonday.  These  solitudes  are  never 
disturbed.  Song-birds  sing  on  the  plains,  but  we  do  not 
hear  the  plaintive  note  of  the  sparrow  or  the  cheerful 
whistle  of  Bob  White  in  the  depths  of  the  forest.  Quails 
have  made  their  appearance  round  the  dwellings  of  set- 
tlers in  the  valleys,  but  their  swift  wings  never  fan  the 
air  of  these  lofty  regions. 

There  are  voices  in  these  solitudes,  but  they  are  silent 
through  tire  summer  days.  By  and  by,  when  storms 
arise,  they  will  join  in  such  harmony  as  never  yet  pealed 
from  organ,  orchestra,  or  choir,  in  temple  or  cathedral 
reared  by  human  hands.  How  sublime  to  hear  the  diapa- 
son of  the  storm  thundering  in  the  distant  valleys,  and 
reverberating  among  the  mountains  ! There  “ the  voice  of 
the  Lord  breaketh  the  cedars.”  The  lofty  pines  bend  like 
reeds  before  the  blast ! 

But  all  is  calm  and  peaceful  to-day,  and,  while  our 
horses  plod  along  the  narrow  trail,  we  indulge  in  such 
reflections  as  befit  the  hour. 

21 


E.E 


482 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


It  is  twenty-six  miles  from  Clark’s  to  the  valley,  and 
throughout  the  entire  distance  there  is  no  house,  nor  do 
we  hear  the  sound  of  the  woodman’s  axe,  or  crack  of  the 
hunter’s  rifle,  or  low  of  herds  upon  the  hills.  There  is 
not  air  enough  to  stir  the  quivering  aspen.  Amid  such 
calmness  and  through  such  solitudes  we  approach  the 
great  chasm  which  the  Almighty  has  cleft  amid  the 
mountains. 

The  Yosemite  Valley  is  situated  on  the  western  side  of 
the  Sierras,  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  southeast 
of  San  Francisco.  The  loftiest  peaks  of  the  range  are 
in  the  immediate  vicinity.  Before  coming  in  view  of 
the  valley,  we  catch  here  and  there  a glimpse  of  the  ele- 
vations beyond.  The  summits  are  rounded  masses  of  gray 
granite.  They  are  composed  of  solid  rock,  rising  above 
the  general  level  like  the  domes  of  a mosque  above  an 
Oriental  city.  But  it  is  unfitting  for  us  to  institute  a 
comparison  between  this  architecture  of  the  Almighty 
with  that  of  Damascus  or  Stamboul. 

The  domes  of  St.  Sophia  and  Suliman,  so  beautiful  from 
the  Bosphorus,  so  mean  when  we  approach  them,  hear  no 
more  comparison  to  those  of  the  Sierras  than  the  card- 
houses  reared  by  children  bear  to  the  city  of  London. 
The  gray  granite  fashions  itself  into  mansions,  palaces, 
and  cathedrals.  Imagination  pictures  a celestial  city 
above  the  clouds.  The  setting  sun,  falling  on  fields  of 
gleaming  snow,  illumines  its  jasper  walls  and  pearly 
gates  with  heavenly  light. 

Suddenly  we  find  ourselves  on  the  brink  of  an  awful 
chasm.  One  mad  leap  of  our  horse,  and  we  should  fall 
three  fourths  of  a mile  ! The  heart  ceases  for  a moment 
to  beat.  We  hold  our  breath.  The  brain  reels.  No  word 
of  exclamation.  Every  voice  is  hushed.  The  soul  stands 
in  awe  before  this  revelation  of  Omnipotence.  This  is 
God’s  work.  Eternal  might  alone  cleft  the  chasm,  rived 


Y0SE1IITE. 


483 


your  nerves  are  steady  enough,  and  look  into  its  depths. 
Those  little  green  points,  like  plants  just  springing  from 
a garden  bed,  are  gigantic  forest-trees.  That  foliage  of 
brighter  hue,  no  larger  than  a tuft  of  grass,  is  an°oak, 
which  has  withstood  the  storms  of  centuries.  That  thread 
of  silver  winding  through  the  valley  is  a river,  which  has 
poured  its  flood  down  a precipice  twenty-seven  hundred 
feet.  The  opposite  wall  of  the  chasm  rises  three  fourths 
of  a mile.  It  is  a perpendicular  rock,  without  seam  or 
scar  to  mar  its  beauty. 

0 verwhelmned  by  the  scene,  we  can  only  gaze  as  one 


the  rock,  and  reared  the  lofty  domes.  So  vast,  grand,  ma- 
jestic, so  filled  with  God’s  presence,  is  this  cathedral  of 
his,  that  we  dare  not  speak.  Hang  over  the  chasm,  if 


SOUTH  DOME,  — 5,000  FEET. 


484 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


who  has  suddenly  passed  into  a higher  existence  and 
beholds  things  “not  lawful  for  a man  to  utter.”  We 
think  of  that  holy  city  which  Bunyan’s  Pilgrim  saw 
beyond  the  river,  from  the  Delectable  Mountains.  The 
sublimest  imagery  of  the  Kevelation  of  St.  John,  portray- 
ing the  transcendant  glory  of  the  New  Jerusalem,  alone 
is  adequate  to  describe  it.  White  clouds  rest  above  it  as 
the  angelic  host  once  hovered  over  the  hills  of  Bethlehem, 
and  sung  the  sweetest  music  ever  heard  on  earth.  The 
Merced,  like  the  river  of  life  proceeding  from  the  throne 
of  God,  winds  down  from  the  celestial  city  making  glad 
the  peaceful  vale. 

Like  the  song  of  the  redeemed  is  the  music  of  the  many- 
voiced waters,  swelling  upward  through  the  evening  air. 
We  behold  beauty,  grandeur,  majesty,  immensity,  and 
omnipotence,  and  hear  the  Te  Deum  Laudamus  ever 
ascending. 

There  are  eight  persons  in  our  company,  and  we  join  in 
singing  Old  Hundred ; but  how  insignificant ! The  only 
fitting  choir  would  be  the  whole  church  militant  singing 
the  Hallelujah  Chorus  of  the  Messiah  ! 

The  choirs  are  hidden  from  our  view,  but  we  can 
hear  them  chanting,  as  priests  chanted  in  the  temple 
service  at  Jerusalem. 

“ In  his  hand  are  the  deep  places  of  the  earth, 

The  strength  of  the  hills  is  his  also.” 

Night  is  coming  on,  and  we  work  our  way  down  the 
zigzag  path.  It  is  too  steep  for  easy  riding ; if  we  do  not 
dismount,  the  chances  are  that  we  shall  be  flying  through 
the  air  and  over  the  horse’s  head. 

The  ladies  of  our  party  are  equipped  for  mountain 
travel.  They  have  left  all  impediments  suitable  for 
parlor  and  drawing-room  behind,  and  appear  in  short 
skirts,  stout  boots,  thick  gloves,  and  hats  broad  enough 


YOSEMITE. 


485 


t 


to  protect  the  face  from  the  sun.  Invigorated  by  the 
fresh  air  of  these  lofty  heights,  with  spirits  quickened  by 
the  wonders  of  the  place,  they  go  down  the  trail  like 
light-hearted  chil- 
dren enjoying  a 
holiday. 

From  Inspira- 
tion Point  the  val- 
ley may  be  seen 
through  nearly  its 
entire  length.  A 
portion  of  the 
chasm  lies  west  of 
us,  but  the  most 
wonderful  section 
is  eastward. 

A glance  at  the 
map  on  the  next 
page  will  show  the 
location  of  the  prin- 
cipal points. 

From  the  bend  in 
the  Mariposa  trail 
to  » Mirror  Lake 
the  distance  is  not 
far  from  seven  miles.  The  greatest  width  is  about  one 
mile.  The  barometer  gives  the  elevation  of  the  Merced 
River,  at  the  western  end  of  the  chasm,  at  four  thousand 
and  sixty  feet,  the  Mirror  Lake  at  a little  more  than  four 
thousand  one  hundred  feet.  The  Merced  is  about  seventy 
feet  in  width,  so  clear  that  the  finest  particles  of  mica 
mixed  with  the  pure  white  sand  sparkle  like  silver  in  its 
crystal  depths.  Ferns,  flowers,  and  grasses  grow  along  its 
banks. 

The  pines  are  as  lofty  as  those  upon  the  hills.  There 


EQUIPPED  FOR  YOSEMITE. 


486 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


are  smiling  meadows  and  glens,  so  sheltered  by  overhang- 
ing crags  that  it  is  always  twilight  in  the  mossy  shade. 

The  valley  wi- 
dens as  we  ap- 
proach its  eastern 
end,  and  takes  a 
form  which  may 
be  likened  to  the 
outlines  of  a tran- 
sept in  some 
grand  cathedral, 
and  through  it 
flows  the  main 
fork  of  the  Mer- 
ced. Going  up 
this  transept  two 
miles  and  ascend- 
ing two  thousand 
feet,  we  reach  the 
Vernal  Falls,  and 
beyond  them  the 
Nevada  Falls. 

A night’s  rest 
in  the  hotel  kept 
by  Mr.  Hutchins, 
who  spreads  be- 
fore us  bountiful 
repasts  of  trout 
and  venison,  of 
blackberries  and 
cream,  and  we  are 
ready  at  an  early 
morning  hour  to 
behold  the  won- 
ders of  the  valley. 


YOSEMITE  VALLEY. 


YOSEMITE. 


487 


granite,  without  a seam,  — rising  perpendicularly  from 
the  meadow  thirty-three  hundred  feet.  The  valley  oppo- 
site is  so  narrow  that,  if  some  mighty  convulsion  were  to 
send  the  Great  Chief  reeling  southward,  he  would  fall 
against  the  confronting  wall.  The  Po-ho-no  fall  descends 
in  silver  spray,  nine  hundred  feet  from  the  edge  of  the 
rock  into  the  chasm. 

The  Indians  reverenced  it  as  the  “ Wind  Spirit,”  hut 
Anglo-Saxon  taste  has  discarded  the  appropriate  name  and 
christened  it  the  “Bridal  Veil.” 

All  that  is  said  of  the  beauty  of  the  Staubbach  — the 


The  pen  cannot  portray  its  grandeur.  We  attempt  no 
detailed  description. 

In  our  journey  to  the  hotel  we  pass  Tu-toch-ar-nu-lah, 
the  “ Great  Chief,”  or  El  Capitan.  It  is  a cliff  of  solid 


EL  CAFITAN. 


488 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


dust  fall  of  Lauterbrunnen,  the  most  beautiful  of  European 
waterfalls  — can  be  said  of  this,  and  more,  for  this  has  a 
greater  descent,  a larger  volume  of  water,  with  the  added 
glory  and  grandeur  of  surrounding  primeval  forests.  Simile 
and  metaphor  can  convey  no  adequate  conception  of  its 
ever-varying  beauty. 

Opposite  the  hotel  are  the  Yosemite  Falls.  We  gaze 
upward,  vainly  endeavoring  to  realize  that  the  broad  white 
stream  has  a descent  of  nearly  twenty-seven  hundred  feet. 
Yet  so  it  is.  There  are  two  perpendicular  descents ; the 
upper  one  fifteen  hundred  feet,  the  lower  one  four  hun- 
dred, with  an  intervening  cascade.  The  frontispiece  of 
this  volume  is  faithfully  reproduced  from  a .photograph, 
and  gives  the  relative  height  and  surrounding  scenery. 
The  reader  will  obtain  the  best  conception  of  the  depth 
of  the  chasm  by  the  forest-trees.  Those  in  the  foreground 
are  lofty  pines,  and  so  are  those  in  the  background,  near 
the  cliff.  They  are  from  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and 
fifty  feet  in  height.  Pick  out  the  tallest,  measure  its 
height  by  the  eye,  then  set  it  against  the  precipice,  and 
see  how  little  wny  it  reaches  up.  It  is  no  more  than  a 
yard-stick  against  the  pine  itself,  or  the  highest  reach  of 
the  upraised  arm  of  a child  against  a church-steeple.  It 
is  only  by  some  such  standard  that  we  can  comprehend 
the  height  of  this  wall. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year,  when  the  rains  and  the  sun 
dissolve  the  snow  upon  the  mountains,  this  cataract  is  a 
hundred  times  more  majestic  than  in  autumn.  We  have 
evidence  of  its  power  in  the  great  boulders  of  granite 
around  us,  larger  than  a thirty-ton  locomotive,  which  in 
years  gone  by  came  thundering  down  the  dizzy  height, 
snapping  the  largest  trees  as  if  they  were  but  pipe- 
stems,  and  crushing  and  pulverizing  the  rocks.  So  the 
Almighty  sets  the  forces  of  nature  to  grinding  the  solid 
granite  into  flour  for  human  food,  — the  “ Eiver  of  Mercy  ” 


YOSEMITE. 


489 


wafting  it  out  upon  the  meadows,  to  be  transmuted  by 
golden  sunlight  and  nightly  dews  into  ripened  wheat  and 
purpling  grapes. 

Science  is  at  a loss  to  account  for  the  formation  of  this 
abyss.  "Was  it  chiselled  out  ? Then  what  became  of  the 
chips  ? Or  was  there  a falling  in  of  the  bottom,  — a giv- 
ing way  of  the  props  beneath  ? Omnipotent  might  alone 
could  rend  these  miles  of  solid  rock  as  if  they  had  no  more 
tenacity  than  pipe-clay,  — the  same  Omnipotence  which 
shields  the  sparrow  and  crowns  the  years  with  goodness. 

Beautiful  names  the  Indians  had  for  these  cliffs  and 
domes.  On  the  opposite  side  of  the  valley  is  Wah-wah- 
le-nah,  — the  Secret  Hiding-Place.  All  Indian  names  of 
four  syllables  are  accented  on  the  third,  as  Min-ne-ha-ha, 
Altamaha.  We  have  given  a wrong  pronunciation  to 
Piscataqua ; the  true  rendering  is  Pis-ca-ta'-qua.  And  so 
with  Niagara,  which  if  pronounced  properly  would  be 
Ni-a-ga'-ra. 

The  three  lofty  cliffs  which  bore  the  sweet  name  of 
Wa-wa-le-neh  are  now  known  as  the  “ Three  Graces.” 

Upon  the  same  side  of  the  valley,  a little  farther  along, 
are  the  cathedral  rocks  and  spires, — outlines  of  but- 
tressed walls  and  lofty  towers,  in  which  we  may  trace  a 
resemblance  to  the  facade  of  the  minster  of  York  or  St. 
Gudule.  Those  edifices  may  be  two  hundred  feet  high, 
but  these  rise  twenty-four  hundred.  Still  farther  along 
we  stand  amazed  before  the  grandeur  and  beauty  of  the 
Sentinel  Dome,  an  isolated  rock,  gray  and  hoary,  its  apex 
about  four  thousand  feet  above  the  floor  of  the  cathedral. 

In  the  wildest  gorges  there  is  only  twilight  through  the 
brightest  day.  "We  look  up  to  mountains  rising  five  thou- 
sand feet  above  the  valley,  to  gray  domes,  inaccessible  to 
human  feet,  where  the  eagle  builds  his  nest  undisturbed, 
and  where  storms,  tempests,  and  rolling  thunder  alone 
break  the  awful  solitude. 

21  * 


490 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Riding  up  the  main  valley  to  the  place  where  the 
Merced  mirrors  the  grandeur  in  a lakelet,  we  stand  be- 
tween the  North  and  South  Domes.  The  peak  on  the 
north  side  of  the  chasm  is  as  symmetrical  as  the  roof  of 
St.  Sophia,  hut  half  of  the  South  Dome  has  been  cleft 
away.  Lay  a round  Dutch  cheese  upon  a block,  and  cut 
it  through  at  a stroke,  and  the  cleavage  would  not  be 
smoother  or  more  complete  than  this  ! It  is  straight 
down  two  thousand  feet,  and  then  slightly  deflected 
twenty-five  hundred  farther  to  the  level  of  the  valley. 

It  is  between  five  and  six  thousand  feet  from  the  lake 
to  the  summit  of  this  riven  dome.  No  exact  measure- 
ment has  been  obtained,  for  it  is  inaccessible.  Five  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  eight  feet  make  a mile.  Measure 
that  distance  along  the  road,  or  think  of  the  White  Moun- 
tains as  riven  from  the  Tip-Top  House  down  to  the  level 
of  the  sea,  — the  cut  as  sharp  and  clean  as  if  made  by 
one  single  stroke  of  the  sword  of  the  Almighty ! 

Such  is  the  architecture  of  this  cathedral.  How  insig- 
nificant and  contemptible  the  grandest  structures  from 
human  hands  when  compared  with  this  ! The  apex  of  the 
dome  of  St.  Peter’s,  the  noblest  edifice  of  Christendom,  is 
about  four  hundred  feet  high,  and  men  stand  beneath  it 
and  gaze  in  wonder  at  the  vastness  and  immensity,  admir- 
ing the  genius  of  Michael  Angelo  which  could  plan  such 
an  edifice.  But  what  is  St.  Peter’s  to  this  ? less  than  the 
little  block-house  reared  by  a toddling  child  upon  the 
parlor  floor. 

Bring  all  the  grand  cathedrals  of  the  Old  World,  with 
their  wealth  of  ornate  architecture,  and  frescoed  walls, 
and  what  are  they  in  comparison  with  this  mountain 
edifice  ? Bring  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Boston,  Balti- 
more, Washington,  Chicago,  — all  the  churches,  ware- 
houses, shops,  stores,  dwellings,  — tumble  them  in,  and 
it  will  not  be  half  full ! 


SALT  LAKE. 


491 


Comparison,  measurement,  metaphor  fail.  We  can  only- 
gaze  in  awe  while  in  this  temple  of  the  Almighty,  and 
say,  with  hushed  breath, 

“ Lo,  God  is  here ! Let  us  adore, 

And  own  how  wondrous  is  this  place  ! ” 


ROM  the  top  of  an  overland  stage-coach  we  have  our 


first  look  at  the  chief  city  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints 
as  we  approach  it  from  the  west.  We  behold  a beautiful 
panorama.  Northward  is  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  calmly  re- 
posing beneath  an  autumnal  sky,  not  a ripple  on  its  sur- 
face, not  a living  thing  in  its  transparent  waters  ; a 
solitude  as  profound  as  that  brooding  over  the  Dead 
Sea  of  Palestine.  Eastward  rises  a mountain  wall,  white 
with  snow  at  the  top,  with  hues  like  the  ever-changing  ani- 
line dyes  upon  the  slopes  and  in  the  ravines  and  gorges. 
Southward  is  the  Salt  Lake  valley,  through  which  flows 
the  Jordan,  — not  the  stream  dear  to  the  Church  Univer- 
sal, but  the  Jordan  of  this  Latter-Day  Church,  flowing 
through  a valley  ten  or  fifteen  miles  wide. 

Before  us  lies  the  city,  spread  out  upon  a gentle  slope. 
Many  of  the  houses  are  surrounded  by  gardens,  giving  it 
the  appearance  of  a large  place,  whereas  the  population 
does  not  exceed  twenty-five  thousand. 

In  the  spring  of  1847  Brigham  Young,  with  one  hun- 
dred and  forty-three  pioneers,  started  from  Missouri  to 
find  a place  far  from  civilization  where  the  church  estab- 
lished by  Joseph  Smith  might  have  room  for  its  full 


CHAPTER  L X I . 


SALT  LAKE. 


492 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


development.  They  arrived  in  this  valley  on  the  24th  of 
J uly,  the  same  year.  They  were  one  thousand  miles  from 
the  nearest  Gentile.  Beyond  them  was  the  great  unex- 
plored desert,  and  still  beyond  was  the  Sierra  Nevada,  and 
beyond  that  was  California.  Gold  had  not  then  been 
discovered,  or  if  discovered  the  news  had  not  reached  the 
Eastern  States.  Amid  the  seclusion  of  the  mountains,  at 
the  heart  of  the  continent,  with  room  for  expansion  to 
Mexico  on  the  south,  the  Pacific  on  the  west,  the  frigid 
zone  on  the  north,  with  the  Iiocky  Mountains,  that 
would  be  forever  a barrier  between  them  and  those  whom 
they  deemed  persecutors,  the  Saints  determined  to  build  a 
church  and  establish  the  State  of  Deseret,  a religion  and 
government  both  diverse  and  antagonistic  to  any  existing 
ecclesiastical  organization  or  republican  order  of  govern- 
ment. 

It  was  a forbidding  prospect.  This  was  a verdureless 
valley.  The  wild  artemisia,  which  feeds  on  alkali,  was  the 
only  growth  of  the  plains.  Along  the  river  there  were  a 
few  willows.  Up  in  the  mountains  there  was  lumber,  and 
when  the  spring  rains  came  there  was  grass  on  the  hill- 
sides ; but  the  heats  of  July  and  August  parched  the 
ground  and  baked  it  into  solid  cake.  Swarms  of  grass- 
hoppers came  from  the  sands  and  devoured  all  vegetation. 
But  streams  trickled  from  the  mountain-sides,  and  the 
settlers  saw  that  they  could  be  turned  to  account  for  ir- 
rigation. Ditches  were  dug,  potatoes  planted,  bricks 
moulded,  cabins  reared,  a city  laid  out.  Food  became 
scarce,  wolves,  foxes,  fish,  sage-roots,  seeds  of  the  moun- 
tain pine,  were  consumed.  The  first  grain  crop  was  a 
failure.  It  was  not  more  than  six  inches  high,  and  the 
grasshoppers  devoured  it.  Many  settlers  became  dis- 
couraged and  returned  to  Missouri,  and  others  died.  Then 
came  the  rush  of  overland  emigrants  to  California.  The 
gold-fever  took  away  some,  but  those  who  remained  had 
strong  faith  and  zeal. 


SALT  LAKE. 


493 


They  had  covenanted  at  Nauvoo  never  to  cease  their 
efforts  nor  relax  their  zeal  till  every  man,  woman,  and 
child  who  wished  to  come  should  have  the  means  of 
reaching  Salt  Lake.  A missionary  fund  was  established, 
and  missionaries  went  out  in  1850  to  England,  Sweden, 
Norway,  and  Denmark,  and  thousands  of  converts  came 
trooping  to  this  land.  The  missionaries  went  to  the  poor, 
the  toiling,  the  hopeless.  In  this  far-off  valley  there  was 
no  moneyed  power  to  oppress  them ; no  laws  to  grind 
them  down.  Here  was  freedom,  work,  plenty,  comfort, 
— a blessed  future  for  time,  and  in  the  bosom  of  the 
church  bliss  for  eternity.  They  preached  the  new  gospel. 
Revelation  had  not  died  out  with  the  Apostles,  but  it  was 
still  continued  through  the  servant  of  the  Lord  J esus,  that 
holy  apostle  and  head  of  the  church  on  earth,  Brigham 
Young.  Come  and  hear  the  tidings,  be  baptized  for  the 
remission  of  sins  ! Accept  the  bliss  ! 

Is  it  any  wonder  that  willing  ears  and  consenting 
hearts  were  found  when  the  attractiveness  of  this  new 
Zion  was  preached  to  the  poor,  toiling,  ignorant  people 
of  Europe  ? England  at  once  became  the  grand  recruit- 
ing-ground. Thousands  who  y'ished  to  come  to  America 
found  that  the  church  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints  had  the 
machinery  of  emigration  in  operation,  agents  to  help, 
steamships  to  carry  them.  The  church  was  ready  to  ad- 
vance money  to  enable  them  to  reach  the  land  blessed 
of  the  Lord. 

Benefits  for  this  life  and  special  blessing  for  the  life 
eternal  were  influential  motives.  The  Welsh  miner,  who 
had  groped  for  years  in  darkness  in  the  collieries  of  Eng- 
land, here  might  walk  over  his  own  green  acres.  The 
men  of  Denmark,  who  found  it  hard  work  to  keep  soul 
and  body  together  on  the  marshes  of  their  native  land, 
here  could  find  ease  and  comfort  in  a genial  clime.  And 
if  there  were  men  with  strong  passions  anywhere  in  the 


494 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


wide  world,  here,  in  the  bosom  of  the  church,  they  could 
religiously  gratify  all  carnal  desire,  and  serve  God  ac- 
ceptably while  so  doing. 

The  church  maintains  a rigid  police,  — ordinary,  special, 
and  ecclesiastical.  The  ordinary  and  special  police  are 
appointed  by  the  Mayor,  Mr.  Apostle  Wells,  — Brigham 
Young’s  right-hand  man,  chosen  by  him  to  administer 
secular  affairs,  — and  hold  their  office  at  his  pleasure.  The 
ecclesiastical  policemen  are  the  bishops  of  the  church. 
The  city  is  divided  into  twenty  wards,  each  under  the 
superintendence  of  a bishop,  who  receives  his  appoint- 
ment from  Brigham.  Subordinate  to  the  bishops,  and 
appointed  by  them,  are  teachers,  who  have  each  a small 
district.  They  make  frequent  visits  to  every  family,  cate- 
chise men,  women,  and  children;  not  only  upon  doctrine 
and  belief,  but  upon  worldly  matters.  Their  reports  go 
to  Bria,ham. 

If  a Mormon  is  disaffected,  or  indulges  in  religious 
doubts,  he  is  at  once  surrounded  with  difficulties.  Mer- 
chants do  not  care  to  trade  with  him.  If  a laborer,  he 
will  not  be  able  to  find  employment.  He  must  cast  out 
his  doubts,  accept  unhesitatingly  the  authority  and  dogmas 
of  the  church,  and  all  will  be  well.  There  is  law  and 
order  in  Paris  and  in  Borne.  Louis  Napoleon  has  his 
secret  police,  and  so  has  the  Pope.  Brigham,  combining 
the  systems  of  Fouclie,  of  the  first  Empire,  and  Ignatius 
Loyola,  of  the  Order  of  the  Jesuits,  has  law  and  order  in 
Utah. 

The  theocratic  state  is  a harp  of  many  strings,  and 
Brigham’s  fingers  sweep  every  wire ; or  it  may  be  likened 
to  an  organ,  Brigham  at  the  key-board,  and  every  pipe 
responsive  to  his  touch. 

Near  the  centre  of  the  city,  on  the  west  side  of  the 
main  street,  is  Tabernacle  Square,  containing  the  old 
and  new  tabernacles  and  the  foundations  for  the  Temple. 


SALT  LAKE. 


495 


The  rounded  roof  of  the  new  tabernacle,  viewed  from  the 
outside,  resembles  a huge  oval  dish-cover.  Approaching 
the  city  from  the  west,  it  is  seen  looming  above  all  other 
edifices,  and  you  think  of  a hotel  dining-table,  the  great 
meat-platter  with  its  cover  in  the  centre.  The  building 
will  seat  fifteen  thousand  persons.  At  one  end,  raised 
several  feet  above  the  general  area,  are  the  seats  for  the 
prophet  and  his  apostles  and  elders,  also  for  the  choir  and 
orchestra.  An  Englishman  is  constructing  a large  organ, 
the  pipes  being  obtained  from  Boston. 


THE  TABERNACLE. 


“ There  is  not  a city  in  the  world  so  virtuous  as  this,” 
is  the  remark  of  a prominent  Mormon. 

Certainly,  the  outside  look  is  fair,  and  that  form  of 
vice  known  as  the  “ social  evil  ” is  not  so  apparent  here 
as  in  other  cities.  The  Mormons  would  have  us  un- 


496 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


derstand  that  their  religion  is  purer  than  any  other. 
Tliey  claim  that  it  purifies  society.  In  a book  of  ser- 
mons we  find  it  was  revealed  to  Brigham  that  the  best 
service  which  men  can  render  to  God  is  the  multipli- 
cation of  the  human  race.  As  soon,  therefore,  as  girls 
arrive  at  a marriageable  age  they  become  concubines. 
In  other  parts  of  the  world  misplaced  affection,  or  a 
low  sense  of  moral  obligation,  or  poverty,  leads  many 
from  the  path  of  virtue ; but  here  the  church  teaches 
that  concubinage  is  ordained  of  God.  To  accept  it  is  to 
glorify  him  ; to  reject  it  is  to  reject  eternal  happiness.  A 
man  may  have  a score  of  concubines ; he  may  be  old, 
hateful,  repulsive,  but  for  a girl  to  repel  his  addresses  is 
to  despise  the  gospel.  Brigham  consents,  parents  urge ; 
there  is  the  example  of  Abraham,  Jacob,  David,  and  Solo- 
mon. In  the  Sunday  school  and  from  the  pulpit  the 
doctrine  of  celestial  marriage  is  taught ; and  so  natural 
affection  and  the  instincts  of  the  soul  alike  are  stifled, 
and  the  shrinking  maiden  is  made  a prostitute  in  the 
name  of  religion. 

A few  steps  east  of  the  tithing-office  is  a three-storied 
building,  standing  end  to  the  road,  large  enough  and  long 
enough  for  a factory  boarding-house.  It  has  a steep 
shingled  roof,  with  ten  gabled  windows  on  each  side. 
On  the  balcony  over  the  door  is  a crouching  lion. 

This  is  the  harem.  A covered  passage  leads  from  the 
ground  floor  to  another  building  east,  in  which  is  the 
general  business  office  of  Brigham  Young,  and  from  which 
telegraph  wires  run  to  every  hamlet  in  the  Territory. 
Another  passage  leads  to  the  private  office  of  Brigham, 
back  of  which  is  his  bedroom,  where  his  concubines  wait 
upon  him,  — Amelia  to-day,  Emeline  to-morrow,  Lucy  the 
day  after. 

Brigham’s  lawfully  wedded  wife  was  Mary  Ann  Angell, 
a native  of  New  York,  the  mother  of  five  children, — 


SALT  LAKE.. 


497 


Joseph,  or  " Joe,”  as  he  is  called  at  Salt  Lake,  Brigham 
A.,  John,  Alice,  and  Luna.  She  married  him  while  he 
was  a young  man,  before  he  was  a prophet,  and  with  him 
accepted  the  revelations  of  Joseph  Smith.  She  lives  in  a 
large  stone  building  in  the  rear  of  the  harem.  Brigham 
does  not  often  visit  her  now. 

The  number  of  his  concubines  is  not  known  to  the 
Gentile  world.  Qne  report  makes  them  seventy,  another 
only  thirty.  It  is  probable  that  the  larger  number  includes 
those  sealed  to  Brigham  for  eternity  and  not  for  time. 

His  first  concubine  is  Lucy  Decker.  She  is  the  lawful 
wife  of  Isaac  Seely,  mother  of  two  children  ; but  Brigham 
could  make  her  a queen  in  heaven,  and  so,  bidding  good 
by  to  Isaac,  she  became  first  concubine,  and  has  added 
eight  children  to  the  prophet’s  household. 

Her  younger  sister,  Clara  Decker,  also  aspired  to  be  a 
heavenly  queen,  and  became  his  second  concubine,  and 
is  the  mother  of  four  children. 

The  third  is  Harriet  Cook,  mother  of  one  turbulent 
boy,  who  does  pretty  much  as  he  pleases.  So  does  the 
mother,  who,  when  in  her  tantrums,  does  not  hesitate  to 
send  Brigham  to  the  realm  of  evil  spirits. 

Lucy  Bigelow  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  most  lady-like 
of  all  the  concubines.  Mrs.  Waite,  wife  of  one  of  the 
United  States  judges  of  the  Territory,  who  saw  all  of  the 
ladies  of  the  harem,  describes  her  as  of  middling  stature, 
dark  brown  hair,  blue  eyes,  aquiline  nose,  and  a pretty 
mouth.  She  is  pleasant  and  affable. 

Miss  Twiss  has  sandy  hair,  round  features,  blue  eyes, 
low  forehead,  freckled  face,  but,  as  she  has  no  children, 
is  not  of  much  account  in  the  eyes  of  the  prophet.  She 
looks  after  his  clothes,  sews  buttons  on  his  shirts,  and  acts 
the  part  of  a housewife. 

Martha  Bowker  is  another  of  the  same  sort,  quiet,  neat 
in  dress,  motherless,  and  therefore  of  little  account. 

FF 


498 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


Harriet  Barney,  like  Lucy  Decker,  left  her  husband 
and  three  children  to  become  a concubine,  that  she  might 
have  exaltation  in  Heaven,  but  has  not  been  honored  in  the 
harem,  not  having  added  any  children  to  the  household. 

Eliza  Burgess  is  the  only  Englishwoman  in  the  harem, 
small  of  stature,  black  eyes,  quick-tempered,  the  mother 
of  several  children. 

Ellen  Bockwood,  daughter  of  the  jail-keeper,  is  another 
of  the  unfortunate  women,  not  having  had  children. 

Mrs.  Hampton,  whose  first  husband  died  at  Nauvoo, 
afterward  married  a man  by  the  name  of  Cole,  who  left 
her  at  Nauvoo  and  went  to  California.  Brigham,  hearing 
of  his  departure,  sent  for  the  wife,  who  obeyed  the  sum- 
mons and  became  a concubine,  lived  in  the  harem  eight 
years,  then  was  cast  out  by  Brigham.  She  now  lives  at 
Ogden  City  with  her  son,  Nephi  Hampton. 

Mary  Bigelow  is  another  castaway.  She  lived  in  the 
harem  several  years,  but  Brigham  became  tired  of  her  and 
sent  her  away. 

Margaret  Pierce  is  another  who,  not  having  added  to 
the  glory  of  the  prophet  by  being  a mother,  is  of  little 
account,  though  still  in  the  harem. 

Emeline  Free,  as  described  by  Mrs.  Waite,  is  the  “light 
of  the  harem,”  tall,  graceful,  mild,  violet  eyes,  fair  hair, 
inclined  to  curl.  She  was  a lively  young  lady,  and  Brig- 
ham fell  in  love  with  her.  Her  father  and  mother  were 
opposed  to  polygamy,  but  Emeline  had  ambitious  projects, 
accepted  his  proposal,  and  became  the  favorite  of  the 
harem.  The  favor  shown  her  brought  on  a row.  The 
other  concubines  carried  this  jealousy  to  such  a pitch,  that 
the  prophet  had  a private  passage  constructed  from  his 
bedroom  to  Emeline’s  room,  so  that  his  visits  to  her  and 
hers  to  him  could  be  made  without  observation.  She  has 
contributed  greatly  to  his  glory  in  the  future  world  by 
presenting  him  with  eight  children  in  this. 


✓ 

SALT  LAKE.  499 

The  poetess  of  the  church  is  Eliza  Snow,  said  to  be 
quite  intellectual.  In  one  of  her  poems  published  in 
Brigham’s  paper,  the  “Deseret  News,”  she  thus  exalts  the 
Mormon  religion : — 

“ We  have  the  ancient  order, 

To  us  by  prophets  given  ; 

And  here  we  have  the  pattern 
As  things  exist  in  heaven.” 

From  which  we  are  to  understand  that  there  are  harems 
in  heaven  ! So  the  Turk  believes. 

Zina  Huntington  also  writes  poetry,  and  acts  as  a sort 
of  governess  to  the  numerous  children  of  the  prophet. 
She  came  to  Salt  Lake  with  her  lawfully  wedded  hus- 
band, Dr.  Jacobs.  Brigham  liked  her,  sent  the  doctor  on 
a missionary  tour  to  England,  took  his  wife  into  the 
harem  and  became  the  spiritual  father  of  her  children ; 
made  her  his  temporal  concubine,  that  he  might  also  exalt 
her  to  be  a queen  in  Heaven.  The  doctor  returned  from 
his  mission,  apostatized,  and  went  to  California,  where  he 
now  resides. 

Amelia  Partridge  has  added  four  children  to  the  proph- 
et’s household.  She  is  said  to  be  of  a sweet  disposition, 
and  is  not  jealous  when  the  prophet  turns  his  attentions 
to  the  other  concubines. 

Mrs.  Augusta  Cobb  was  formerly  a Bostonian,  became 
converted  to  Mormonism  eighteen  years  ago,  left  her  home, 
and  accepted  a position  in  the  harem. 

Mrs.  Smith,  a devout  Mormon,  wished  to  be  sealed  to 
Brigham  for  eternity,  but  the  prophet  did  not  care  to 
make  her  a heavenly  queen.  He  sealed  her  to  Joseph 
Smith  for  eternity  and  to  himself  for  time. 

One  “ poor  unfortunate,”  Clara  Chase,  became  a maniac, 
and  has  gone  where  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling. 

Amelia  Folsom,  a native  of  Portsmouth,  N.  H.,  is  the 
mistress  of  the  harem.  She  entered  it  on  the  29th  of 


500 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


January,  1863.  Her  age  is  about  nineteen,  and  the 
prophet’s  sixty-three.  She  has  things  pretty  much  her 
own  way,  — private  box  at  the  theatre,  carriage  of  her 
own,  silks,  satins,  a piano,  parlor  elegantly  furnished.  If 
the  prophet  slights  her,  she  pays  him  in  his  own  coin.  . 

Such  is  an  outline  of  this  saintly  household  ! — thirty 
women  or  more,  and  seventy  or  eighty  children.  Unless 
human  nature  is  vastly  different  in  Utah  from  what  it  is 
in  other  places,  there  must  be  many  family  jars.  The  out- 
ward appearance  is  that  of  a peaceable  and  orderly  com- 
munity, but  if  there  is  any  of  truth  in  common  report,  it 
is  oyi e of  the  saddest  communities  in  the  world. 

In  the  Orient  there  is  one  institution  which  has  long 
been  established,  — concubinage.  The  modern  Turk,  the 
Arab,  Hindoo,  Feegian,  and  the  King  of  Ashantee,  all  fol- 
low in  the  footsteps  of  their  fathers.  They  keep  concu- 
bines by  the  score.  The  harem  never  has  flourished  un- 
der the  Christian  civilization  of  Europe,  but  it  has  been 
planted  in  Utah  by  the  prophet  and  apostles  of  the 
church  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints,  and  is  thriving  with 
great  vigor. 

It  is  one  of  the  anomalies  of  the  nineteenth  century. 
The  author  of  “New  America”  would  have  us  believe 
that  polygamy  at  Salt  Lake  is  peculiarly  an  outgrowth  of 
American  institutions ; but  the  great  body  of  recruits 
come  from  that  author’s  own  land.  There  is  nothing  in 
democracy  any  more  than  in  autocracy  to  grow  such  a 
an  excrescence  as  that  of  Utah.  It  is  flourishing  now,  but 
slavery  has  disappeared  from  the  land,  and  the  time  is 
not  far  distant  when  the  country  will  be  purged  of  poly- 
gamy, — by  peaceful  means  if  possible,  by  forcible  if 
there  is  no  other  way. 


THE  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


501 


CHAPTER  LX 1 1 . 

THE  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 

IN  July,  1862,  Congress  loaned  the  national  credit  to 
the  amount  of  fifty  million  dollars  to  two  railroad 
companies,  — the  Central,  building  east  from  Sacramento, 
and  the  Union,  west  from  Omaha.  The  distance  between 
the  two  points  is  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
twenty-one  miles.  The  public  had  little  faith  in  the 
enterprise,  but  there  were  some  gentlemen  who  had  taken 
long  looks  ahead,  and  among  them  Governor  Leland 
Stanford,  his  brother  Mr.  Charles  Stanford,  J udge  Crocker 
of  Sacramento,  Mr.  Durant  of  New  York,  Mr.  Ames  of 
Massachusetts,  who  were  ready  to  take  hold  of  the  enter- 
prise. The  Central  Company  was  first  organized.  The 
gentlemen  connected  with  it  had  already  constructed 
a wagon-road  over  the  Sierra  Nevada  range,  and  knew 
what  difficulties  would  be  encountered.  Most  people 
shook  their  heads  at  the  undertaking,  but  the  State  of 
California  aided  it  by  a subsidy  of  $ 1,500,000. 

Work  was  commenced  at  Sacramento  in  January,  1863. 
The  track  was  carried  for  a long  distance  on  trestle-work 
over  the  low  lands,  which  are  flooded  by  the  Sacramento 
during  the  rainy  season.  The  foot-hills  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada  chain  are  reached  at  the  little  town  of  Rocklin, 
twenty-two  miles  northeast  of  Sacramento,  at  an  eleva- 
tion of  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine  feet.  From  tills 
point  to  the  summit  of  the  Sierras  the  distance  is  eighty- 
three  miles,  and  the  elevation  overcome  six  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  seventy-four  feet,  or  nearly  eighty-two 
feet  per  mile  for  the  entire  distance. 


502 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


The  ridge  between  the  American  River  and  Bear  Creek, 
both  tributaries  of  the  Sacramento,  is  a series  of  hills, 
spurs,  ravines,  deep  gullies,  gorges,  and  precipices.  How 
to  get  over  or  around  them,  hold  what  has  been  gained 
of  elevation,  fit  curve  to  tangent  and  tangent  to  reversed 
curve,  avoid  rock-cutting  and  deep  filling,  projecting  spurs 
on  the  one  hand  and  deep  ravines  on  the  other,  with  curves 
of  small  resistance,  were  the  grand  questions  for  the  en- 
gineers to  whom  the  work  was  intrusted. 

It  was  found  that  a uniform  grade  of  eighty-two  feet 
to  the  mile  could  not  be  had ; that  there  were  long  reaches 
where  a grade  of  one  hundred  and  sixteen  feet  to  the 
mile,  with  frequent  reversed  curves,  must  be  resorted  to. 
Twenty  years  ago  no  engineer  would  have  thought  it  pos- 
sible to  construct  and  work  a road  under  such  conditions. 
But  the  line  is  completed.  It  runs  along  the  edge  of 
precipices  where  we  look  down  fifteen  hundred  feet  into 
a dark  canyon.  It  crosses  ravines  on  bridges  two  hundred 
and  sixty -five  feet  high,  — loftier  than  Bunker  Hill  Monu- 
ment by  thirty  feet ! 

In  some  places  clay  was  encountered,  of  such'  a slip- 
pery nature  that  thousands  of  tons  came  down  upon  the 
track  in  a night ; but  patience,  perseverance,  and  ten 
thousand  plodding  Chinamen  overcame  all  difficulties. 
Thirteen  tunnels  have  been  cut  through  solid  granite, 
that  on  the  summit  being  one  thousand  six  hundred  and 
fifty-nine  feet  in  length,  another  eight  hundred  and  sixty- 
three  feet,  and  the  aggregate  amounting  to  six  thousand 
and  fifty. 

In  addition,  there  is  an  immense  amount  of  rock  cut- 
ting along  the  mountain-sides,  where  gunpowder  and 
nitro-glycerine  have  been  freely  used.  Even  in  the  earth 
excavations  the  contractors  have  found  it  profitable  to 
blow  up  the  hills,  loosening  tons  of  solid  earth  at  a 
single  discharge.  To  ride  over  this  line,  to  see  how  the 


THE  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


503 


504 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


work  lias  been  done,  to  behold  the  great  boulders  hurled 
into  the  valley,  broken  into  fragments,  and  a solid,  sub- 
stantial, well-built  road  laid  over  the  tops  of  the  moun- 
tains, sets  one  to  thinking  that  this  must  be  the  work 
of  the  Titans. 

But  all  the  construction  material  — iron,  engines,  spikes, 
implements,  screws,  nuts,  bolts,  shovels,  spades,  crow- 
bars, chains,  car-wheels,  glass,  the  thousand  articles  to  be 
found  in  railway  shops  — had  to  come  from  the  East  by 
Panama  or  Cape  Horn.  Ships  failed  to  arrive  on  time. 
Articles  ordered  months  in  advance  were  not  at  hand 
when  wanted.  The  track-layers  were  out  of  spikes,  the 
car-builders  in  wrant  of  bolts.  Engines  were  not  forth- 
coming at  the  time  appointed.  Carpenters,  masons, 
bridge-builders,  were  not  to  be  had.  There  wras  a de- 
ficiency of  rolling  stock,  and  the  company  could  not 
transport  its  owrn  material.  The  traders  of  all  Upper 
California,  Nevada,  and  Idaho  were  clamorous  to  have 
their  goods  transported  before  the  winter  set  in.  The 
steamboats  from  San  Francisco  to  Sacramento  wTere  loaded 
to  the  water’s  edge  with  merchandise,  the  warehouses  in 
Sacramento  were  filled  with  boxes,  bales,  and  barrels,  with 
machinery  and  furniture,  which  the  railroad  could  not 
take  away  for  want  of  cars  and  engines.  There  was  an 
army  of  from  fifteen  to  twenty  thousand  men  out  in  the 
desert  of  Utah  to  be  fed,  besides  thousands  of  oxen  and 
horses.  Every  pound  of  grain,  flour,  meat,  hay,  everything 
consumed,  had  to  be  sent  up  from  Sacramento. 

To  keep  the  army  in  rations,  forward  ties,  timber,  and 
iron,  required  an  energy  like  that  exhibited  during  the 
war  by  the  quartermasters  of  General  Grant’s  armies. 

The  snow  region  of  the  Sierras  is  about  fifty  miles 
wide.  The  deposition  of  moisture  on  the  Pacific  slope 
in  winter  gives  a great  depth  of  snow  on  the  moun- 
tains. To  make  the  line  secure  from  avalanches,  numer- 


THE  PACIFIC  RAILROAD. 


505 


ous  sheds  have  been  constructed,  which,  if  joined  together, 
would  make  about  twenty-four  miles  of  sheltered  way. 
They  are  built  over  excavations  where  the  plough  cannot 
throw  the  snow  from  the  track. 

Reaching  the  summit  of  the  Sierras  at  an  elevation  of 
seven  thousand  and  forty-two  feet,  the  line  follows  down 
the  Truckee  River,  into  the  great  central  basin  of  the  con- 
tinent, embracing  the  State  of  Nevada  and  Territory  of 
Utah.  A more  dreary,  cheerless  region  cannot  be  im- 
agined. There  are  treeless  wastes,  barren  hills,  and  wide 
plains,  where  the  wild  artemisia  is  the  only  vegetation. 
The  streams  are  bitter.  The  ground  is  filled  with  alkali. 
The  soil  would  be  fertile  were  there  water  for  irrigation ; 
but  from  the  eastern  slope  of  the  Sierras  to  Salt  Lake 
there  is  only  a dreary  desert. 

The  road  has  been  built  by  the  Central  Company  from 
Sacramento  to  the  town  of  Ogden,  and  from  that  place  to 
Omaha  by  the  Union  Company,  which  was  organized  in 
July,  1864,  and  which  has  displayed  an  energy  equal  to 
that  shown  by  the  Central. 

Work  was  commenced  at  Omaha  in  the  fall  of  the 
same  year.  On  the  1st  of  January,  1866,  forty  miles  were 
open  to  travel ; a year  later,  three  hundred  and  five  miles ; 
on  the  1st  of  January,  1868,  five  hundred  and  forty  miles  ; 
and  now,  in  May,  1869,  the  locomotive  runs  from  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Pacific. 

The  line  beyond  Omaha  lies  across  the  treeless  plain 
which  extends  to  the  Black  Hills.  To  throw  up  the  road- 
bed was  comparatively  an  easy  task,  to  obtain  timber  for 
ties  was  a more  serious  matter.  The  ascent  is  so  gradual 
from  the  Missouri  to  the  summit  of  the  ridge  which 
divides  the  Missouri  slope  from  the  great  central  basin 
of  the  continent,  that  the  gain  in  elevation  is  almost 
imperceptible. 

Geographers  have  described  the  Black  Hills  as  the 
22 


506 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


backbone  of  the  continent.  Imagination  pictures  them 
as  a lofty  range  cf  mountains,  but  they  are  hills  rising 
from  a plateau.  Southward  and  northward  from  the 
summit  we  see  blue  mountains  capped  with  snow  far 
away,  but  the  highest  elevation  on  the  line,  eight  thou- 
sand two  hundred  and  sixty-two  feet,  is  gained  by  a 
grade  of  ninety  feet  per  mile,  and  that  only  for  a short 
distance. 

The  village  of  Sherman,  situated  on  the  summit,  is 
probably  higher  than  any  other  town  in  the  United 
States. 

Westward  of  the  Black  Hills  are  the  Laramie  Plains, 
which  have  a general  elevation  of  seven  thousand  feet 
above  the  sea ; and  farther  on  is  Green  Eiver,  running 
south,  discharging  its  waters  into  the  Gulf  of  California. 
Passing  over  the  ridge  beyond  it;  the  line  follows  down 
Weber  canyon  to  Salt  Lake,  and  up  its  northern  shore  to 
Ogden,  where  Chinamen  working  eastward  and  Irish- 
men westward  have  joined  hands  in  laying  the  last  rail 
of  a road  which  spans  the  continent. 


N this  eighth  day  of  May,  1869,  the  last  rail  is  laid 


between  the  Atlantic  and  Pacific,  and  the  loco- 
motive now  may  run  from  the  Penobscot  to  the  Golden 
Gate.  Workmen  are  extending  the  line  eastward  to  the 
British  Dominion,  and  the  time  is  near  at  hand  when 
Halifax  will  be  but  six  days  from  San  Francisco.  Then 
thirteen  days  will  suffice  to  bear  the  westward-bound 


CHAPTEE  LXIII. 


CONCLUSION. 


CONCLUSION. 


507 


traveller  from  St.  George’s  Channel  to  the  shores  of  the 
Pacific.  Then  the  Londoner,  sailing  east  or  west,  will 
make  Hong  Kong  in  about  forty-three  days.  A third 
of  a century  ago  Dr.  Lardner  proposed  to  eat  the  first 
steamship  which  should  cross  the  Atlantic,  and  now 
steam-ferries  are  established  between  all  lands. 

But  a little  longer  time  has  elapsed  since  George  Ste- 
phenson ran  his  first  rude  engine  over  a tramway ; now 
Europe,  America,  and  India  are  belted  with  railroads. 
Advancement  is  the  characteristic  feature  of  the  century. 
Steamships  and  locomotives  are  giving  new  life  to  old 
nations. 

Coal,  the  stored-up  sunlight  of  a million  years,  is  the 
grand  agent.  Liberty  lights  the  fire,  and  Christian  civil- 
ization is  the  engine  which  is  taking  the  whole  world  in 
its  train. 

There  are  but  three  aggressive  nations,  — England, 
America,  and  Piussia,  — and  together  they  are  to  give  civil- 
ization to  six  hundred  millions  of  the  human  race.  Eng- 
land is  already  moving  the  dead  mass  of  India ; Bussia 
is  advancing  upon  Central  Asia,  and  America,  now  brought 
in  direct  contact  with  China,  not  by  force  of  arms,  but 
by  commercial  intercourse  and  good-will,  is  to  make  her 
power  felt  among  the  millions  of  that  empire. 

After  an  absence  of  two  years  and  five  months,  we  have 
returned  to  our  home,  having  lost  some  prejudices  and 
gained  new  views.  America  does  not  possess  all  the  vir- 
tues in  the  world.  We  have  something  yet  to  learn.  If 
we  have  larger  liberty  than  any  other  people,  we  must 
confess,  on  the  other  hand,  that  there  is  no  city  in  any 
land  so  badly  governed  as  the  commercial  metropolis 
of  this  country.  We  may  revise  our  liberty  without 
detriment  to  ourselves. 

If,  in  the  interior  of  China,  there  is  a strong  prejudice 
against  foreigners,  we  are  to  remember  that  it  has  its 


508 


OUR  NEW  WAY  ROUND  THE  WORLD. 


counterpart  in  California  and  Oregon.  If  we  are  saints, 
we  shall  do  well  to  remember  that  it  is  saintly  to  observe 
the  golden  rule. 

If  we  have  something  yet  to  learn,  on  the  other  hand 
America  is  the  great  teacher  of  the  nations.  The  com- 
pact signed  in  the  cabin  of  the  Mayflower  is  the  world’s 
charter  of  liberty.  The  thunder  of  Gettysburg  is  rever- 
berating round  the  world.  The  people  of  Europe  are 
keeping  step  to  the  march  of  the  great  Republic. 

We  have  returned  to  America  with  a stronger  love  for 
its  institutions  and  an  enlarged  conception  of  its  future 
greatness.  Our  country  is  moving  on  as  no  other  nation 
ever  advanced,  and  the  world  is  following  in  our  path. 
Remembering  what  the  Union  has  cost  and  what  it  is 
worth,  we  hail  with  swelling  hearts  our  native  land  once 
more. 

“ Oirr  hearts,  our  hopes,  are  all  with  thee, 

Our  hearts,  our  hopes,  our  prayers,  our  tears, 

Our  faith  triumphant  o’er  our  fears. 

Are  all  with  thee,  — are  all  with  thee  ! ” 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


IT  will  be  our  aim  in  this  supplementary  chapter  to  give  informa- 
tion which  will  be  of  especial  value  to  those  who  may  be  con- 
templating a tour  round  the  world.  Even  those  who  are  not 
thinking  of  going  may  be  interested  to  know  how  it  can  be  done. 
The  preceding  pages  have  only  given  our  own  route  of  travel ; but 
there  are  others  which  may  be  taken.  There  are  places  to  visit 
which  we  did  not  see,  but  which  might  have  been  seen  had  our  jour- 
ney been  at  a more  auspicious  season. 

Our  tour  was  from  west  to  east,  but  the  true  course  is  with  the 
sun.  By  starting  at  the  right  time,  and  by  travelling  westward, 
every  country  may  be  seen  at  its  best  season,  and  the  tourist  may 
be  pretty  sure  of  calm  seas  and  pleasant  weather  all  the  way  from 
San  Francisco  to  Suez,  and  on  to  Europe. 

We  take  it  for  granted  that  any  one  making  the  tour  of  the  world 
intends  to  devote  at  least  a year  to  travel.  The  trip  can  be  made  in 
ninety  days,  but  he  who  makes  it  in  that  time  will  have  weariness 
of  body  and  a confused  brain.  Japanese,  Chinese,  Hindoos,  and 
Arabs  will  be  so  completely  mixed,  — there  will  be  such  indistinct 
recollections  of  joss-houses,  pagodas,  mosques,  temples,  — of  junks, 
sampans,  proas,  and  other  queer  craft,  — such  a snarl  of  streets, 
lanes,  and  alleys,  filled  with  myriads  of  people,  carrying  baskets, 
bundles,  chests  of  tea,  and  dressed  in  blue  blouses,  baggy  trousers, 
flowing  robes,  long  gowns,  turbans,  broad-brimmed  or  steeple- 
shaped hats,  — or  wearing  nothing  at  all,  except  a narrow  strip  of 
cloth  about  the  loins,  — with  pigtails,  cues,  or  shaven  crowns, 
plucked  brows,  painted  faces,  tattooed  skins,  — riding  in  sedans,  pa- 
lankeens, or  on  donkeys,  elephants,  and  camels,  — that  the  brain,  in- 
stead of  retaining  distinct  pictures,  will  be  in  the  condition  of  a 
sportsman  whose  horse  turns  a somersault  in  a steeple-chase,  and 
the  unfortunate  rider  beholds  only  a whirling  landscape  of  fields, 
trees,  hounds,  hedges,  and  blinking  stars ! 


510 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


To  be  benefited  by  travel,  time  must  be  taken  for  study  and  re- 
flection. No  man  can  eat  all  the  time;  if  he  attempts  it,  digestion 
ceases.  A person  had  better  remain  at  home  than  go  round  the 
world  in  ninety  days.  A year  is  little  time  enough.  Eighteen 
months  will  be  far  more  profitable;  but  the  trip  can  be  made  in 
twelve,  if  the  traveller  has  no  more  than  that  amount  of  time  to 
spend. 

The  distance  from  New  York,  and  the  probable  time  required  for 
a trip  across  the  continent,  will  be  seen  from  the  following  tabular 
statement,  which  is  based  on  the  supposition  that  the  trains  from 
Omaha  to  San  Francisco  will  be  run  at  a speed  of  twenty-three 
miles  per  hour,  including  stoppages,  and  those  between  New  York 
and  Omaha  at  twenty-five  miles  per  hour : — 


Miles. 

Hours. 

New  York  to  Chicago 

915 

37 

Chicago  to  Omaha 

. 491 

20 

Omaha  to  San  Francisco  . 

. 1,845 

80 

3,251 

137 

The  following  table  shows  the  distance  from  the  eastern  terminus 
of  the  road  to  the  prominent  points  along  the  line,  with  their  eleva- 
tion above  the  sea  level : — 


Station. 

Distance 
from  Omaha. 

Elevation 
Above  the  Sea. 

Omaha 

— miles. 

967  feet. 

Fremont 

4G  “ 

1,215  “ 

Columbus 

91  “ 

1,455  “ 

Kearney 

190  “ 

2,128  “ 

North  Platte 

290  “ 

2,830  “ 

Julesburg 

377  “ 

3,557  “ 

Cheyenne  

517  “ 

6,062  “ 

Sherman,  summit  of  Black  Hills  . 

550  “ 

8,262  “ 

Laramie 

576  “ 

7,134  “ 

Benton 

690  “ 

7,534  “ 

Green  River 

820  “ 

6,092  “ 

Fort  Bridger 

845  “ 

7,009  “ 

Weber  Canon 

995  “ 

4,G34  “ 

Humboldt  Wells  .... 

1,213  “ 

5,650  “ 

Humboldt  Lake 

1,493  “ 

4,047  “ 

Big  Bend  Truckee  .... 

1,534  “ 

4,217  “ 

Truckee  River  

1,602  “ 

5,866  “ 

Summit  of  Sierras  .... 

1,616  “ 

7,042  “ 

Cisco 

1,624  “ 

5,711  “ 

Alta 

1,652  “ 

3,625  “ 

Colfax 

1,667  “ 

2,448  “ 

Sacramento 

1,721  “ 

56  “ 

Stockton 

1,766  “ 

22  “ 

San  Francisco 

1,845  “ 

— 

SUPPLEMENTARY. 


511 


The  trip  will  be  made  a few  hours  short  of  six  days.  The  fare  for 
the  through  journey  will  probably  be  about  one  hundred  dollars,  — 
the  company  not  having  as  yet  established  their  rates. 

Pullman’s  palace  cars  will  run  the  entire  distance,  giving  travel- 
lers state-rooms  by  night  and  a drawing-room  by  day.  They  will 
be  supplied  with  every  comfort,  and  obtain  their  meals  on  board  the 
train  while  flying  from  ocean  to  ocean. 

Travellers  who  intend  making  the  tour  of  the  world  will  wish  to 
see  Yosemite  before  leaving  their  native  land. 

An  excursion  to  that  wonder  of  the  world  will  require  ten  days, 
at  a cost  of  seventy-five  to  one  hundred  dollars. 

Before  leaving  home,  the  tourist  will  do  well  to  give  some 
thought  to  the  amount  of  baggage  necessary  for  the  trip,  also  to 
the  size  of  his  trunks.  No  person  should  take  anything  that  is  not 
absolutely  necessary  for  comfort.  Ready-made  clothing  can  be 
purchased  anywhere  in  the  seaports  of  the  East;  or  a Chinese 
tailor  will  get  up  a well-made  suit  at  short  notice,  for  women  as 
well  as  men. 

The  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company  are  more  generous  in  the 
transportation  of  baggage  than  the  steamship  lines  from  China  to 
India  and  Egypt.  The  Peninsular  and  Oriental  state-rooms  are  small 
apartments,  and  it  will  be  a great  convenience  to  have  trunks  which 
can  be  put  under  the  lower  berth.  The  Egyptian  Transit  Com- 
pany’s regulations  give  the  following  dimensions  for  trunks  and 
packages : — 

Length 3 ft. 

Breadth 1 ft.  3 in. 

Depth 1 ft.  2 in. 

Sole-leather  trunks,  in  stouficanvas  coverings,  with  strong  straps, 
are  the  best  for  a trip  round  the  world.  Two  small  ones  are  better 
than  one  large  one.  A water-proof  canvas  bag,  which  can  be 
strapped  upon  a trunk,  is  a great  convenience,  especially  to  hold 
soiled  clothing.  A travelling-shawl  and  water-proof  overcoat  are 
indispensable. 

Such  clothing  should  be  worn  as  is  suitable  for  fall  wear  in  Boston 
or  New  York.  There  will  be  some  cool  days  on  the  Pacific;  and 
cool  nights  in  Japan,  China,  and  India.  A suit  of  dark  gray  is 
usually  worn  by  old  travellers.  Woollen  under-clothing  will  be 
best  for  every  country,  if  the  traveller  goes  by  San  Francisco,  and 
leaves  that  port  at  the  proper  season. 

A lady  will  need  a short  travelling-dress,  one  black  silk,  and  a 


512 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


third  of  such  material  as  will  be  suitable  for  ordinary  occasions,  a 
water-proof  cloak,  travelling-shawl,  hat,  stout  walking-shoes,  and  a 
moderate  quantity  of  under-clothing.  We  will  not  advise  any  lady 
to  attempt  the  trip ; neither  will  we  discourage  any  one  who  may 
be  inclined  to  see  the  other  side  of  the  globe.  Any  one,  endowed 
with  pluck,  power  of  endurance,  and  good  health,  who  is  a good 
sailor,  who  can  put  up  with  some  discomforts  and  make  the  best 
of  everything,  need  not  stay  at  home.  On  the  other  hand,  one 
lacking  these  qualities  will  find  more  comfort  and  pleasure  by  their 
cosey  firesides  than  in  tossing  on  the  deep,  or  in  a sedan-chair  car- 
ried by  coolies,  or  riding  a vicious  donkey. 

A circular  letter  of  credit  will  be  needed  on  bankers  in  Yoko- 
hama, Shanghae,  Hong  Kong,  Singapore,  Calcutta,  Bombay,  Alexan- 
dria, Constantinople,  and  European  cities. 

It  may  be  well  to  take  Mexican  dollars  from  San  Francisco,  for 
use  in  Japan  and  China.  The  coin  is  current  in  those  countries; 
and,  as  the  balance  of  trade  is  usually  against  the  United  States, 
something  may  be  saved  by  taking  silver:  Gold  is  not  needed.  It 
circulates  to  some  extent  in  Japan;  but  the  Chinese  have  not 
adopted  it  in  their  currency. 

The  Pacific  Mail  Steamship  Company  ticket  passengers  through 
from  New  York  to  Japan,  China,  and  India,  not  by  the  Pacific  Rail- 
road, but  by  the  Isthmus  and  Panama.  Their  rates  at  the  present 
time  in  gold  will  be  seen  from  the  following  table : — 


To  Yokohama  .... 

. $250 

“ Hong  Kong,  Shanghae,  &c.  , 

. 300 

“ Swatow ' 

315 

“ Amoy 

. 320 

“ Foochow  .... 

340 

“ Singapore  .... 

. 380 

“ Penang 

400 

“ Calcutta 

. 450 

Two  hundred  and  fifty  pounds  baggage  are  allowed  each  adult  cabin 
passenger. 

The  fare  from  San  Francisco  to  Shanghae  or  Hong  Kong  is 
three  hundred  dollars,  the  same  as  from  New  York,  — the  company 
being  a competitor  with  the  railroad  for  passengers  between  New 
York  and  San  Francisco. 

There  are  no  steamers  afloat  which  for  elegance,  comfort,  and 
spaciousness  compare  with  those  of  this  line. 

The  accompanying  tables  show  the  movements  of  the  China 
steamers  for  the  present  year : — 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


513 


OUTWARD. 

HOMEWARD. 

Leave  San 
Francisco 

Due 

Yokohama. 

Due 

Ilong  Kong. 

6 

cS 

<D  A • 
S3 

q a 
M a 

-a 

GO 

Leave 

Shanghae. 

Leave 

Hong  Kong.  ; 



Leave 

Yokohama. 

Due  San 
Francisco. 

Jan. 

4 

Jan.  30 

Feb. 

7 

Feb. 

8 

Jan.  21 

Jan.  19 

Jan.  31 

Feb.  24 

Feb. 

4 

Mar.  2 

Mar.  10 

Mar.  11 

Feb.  20 

Feb.  19 

Mar.  3 

Mar.  27 

Mar. 

5 

Mar.  31 

Apr. 

8 

Apr. 

9 

Mar.  20 

Mar.  19 

Apr.  1 

Apr.  25 

Apr. 

5 

Apr.  26 

May 

5 

May 

6 

Apr.  19 

Apr.  19 

Apr.  29 

May  20 

May 

4 

May  27 

June 

5 

June 

5 

May  19 

May  19 

May  29 

June  19 

June 

4 

June  27 

July 

6 

July 

6 

June  19 

June  19 

June  29 

July  20 

July 

3 

July  26 

Aug. 

4 

Aug. 

4 

July  19 

July  19 

July  29 

Aug.  19 

Aug. 

4 

Aug.  27 

Sept. 

5 

Sept. 

5 

Aug.  19 

Aug.  19 

Aug.  29 

Sept.  19 

Sept. 

4 

Sept.  27 

Oct. 

5 

Oct. 

6 

Sept.  18 

Sept.  18 

Sept.  29 

Oct.  23 

Oct. 

4 

Oct.  30 

Nov. 

7 

Nov. 

8 

Oct.  21 

Oct.  19 

Oct.  31 

Nov.  24 

Nov. 

4 

Nov.  30 

Dec. 

8 

Dec. 

9 

Nov.  20 

Nov.  19 

Dec.  1 

Dec.  25 

Dec. 

4 

Dec.  30 

1870. 

1870. 

Dec.  21 

Dec.  18 

Dec.  31 

Jan.  24 

1870. 

1870. 

Jan. 

7 

Jan. 

8 

Jan. 

4 

Jan.  30 

Feb. 

7 

Feb. 

8 

The  table  is  bountifully  supplied,  though  fresh  provisions  some- 
times run  out  before  the  steamer  reaches  Japan.  The  only  draw- 
back to  comfort  is  from  the  large  numbers  of  Chinese  in  the 
steerage;  but  they  are  usually  well  disposed,  and  their  presence 
affords  the  traveller  an  excellent  opportunity  to  study  their  habits 
and  customs,  and  to  learn  the  pigeon  English,  which  will  come  in 
course  when  he  reaches  China. 

The  steamers  westward  bound  usually  carry  about  seven  hundred 
passengers ; the  eastward  bound,  one  thousand  to  twelve  hundred. 

The  secret  of  travelling  with  ease  is  to  know  where  to  go,  and 
how  to  get  there,  — making  all  necessary  preparations,  and  never  to 
worry.  It  is  care  which  kills  us,  wears  us  out  before  our  time. 
The  voyager  in  making  up  his  route,  if  possible,  should  plan  to  be 
in  Central  and  Southern  China  in  November,  India  in  December 
and  January,  and  Egypt  in  February,  Palestine  and  Syria  in  March 
and  April,  which  will  bring  him  to  Europe,  to  travel  northward  up 
the  Danube,  or  to  Greece  and  Italy,  with  the  advancing  seasons. 
Nine  months  between  Boston  and  Egypt,  by  the  westward  route, 
is  the  least  possible  time  which  a traveller  should  devote  to  the  trip. 
In  this  estimate  the  supposition  is  that  one  month  will  be  taken  up 
in  the  trip  across  the  country  and  California.  By  diligence,  a study 
of  routes,  the  days  for  steamers  to  sail,  the  trip  can  be  made  with 
ease  and  comfort,  and  enough  seen  to  give  one  comprehensive  ideas 
of  the  other  side  of  the  globe.  It  will  be  of  great  advantage  be- 
22*  GO 


514 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


fore  starting,  or  while  on  the  way,  to  read  the  best  books  on  the 
countries  to  be  visited.  As  yet  there  is  no  guide-book  to  those 
lands,  and  resort  must  be  made  to  books  of  travels  and  histories. 

The  following  will  be  most  accessible,  and  will  give  the  fullest 
information : — 

FOR  JAPAN. 

Hildreth's  History. 

Alcock’s  Capital  of  the  Tycoon.  • 

Cornwallis’s  Two  Journeys. 

FOR  CHINA. 

William’s  Middle  Kingdom. 

Nevius’s  China  and  the  Chinese. 

Doolittle’s  Social  Life  of  the  Chinese. 

Blaikstone’s  Five  Months  on  the  Yangtse. 

Bohn’s  Chinese,  Standard  Library  Edition. 

Ball’s  Tea  Culture. 

Oliphant’s  China. 

Fortune’s  Residence  among  the  Chinese. 

Du  Halde’s  General  History  of  China. 

Treaty  Ports  of  China  and  Japan. 

FOR  INDIA. 

Hunter’s  History. 

Marshman’s  History. 

Elphinstone’s  History. 

Allen’s  History. 

Travels  of  a Hindoo. 

Miss  Carpenter’s  Six  Months  in  India. 

Rural  Bengal. 

Some  of  these  books,  read  while  making  the  passage  to  Yoko- 
hama, will  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  traveller  when  he  comes  in 
contact  with  the  people  of  J apan,  China,  and  India. 

Reaching  Japan,  he  will  find  a currency,  composed  of  the  itzibu, 
a silver  coin  worth  about  thirty  cents,  and  the  tempo,  a copper  coin 
worth  a little  more  than  one  cent.  The  cobang  is  a gold  coin,  but 
travellers  will  not  be  obliged  to  use  it;  Mexican  dollars  will  serve 
his  purpose. 

To  visit  Yedo,  or  make  excursions,  passports  are  needed,  which 
must  be  obtained  through  the  consul  at  Yokohama. 

Having  seen  Yedo,  and  the  country  around  Yokohama,  the  tour- 
ist will  take  a steamer  to  Shanghae.  We  would  advise  every  trav- 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


515 


eller  to  take  the  Inland  Sea  route ; there  are  few  places  in  the  world 
where  the  scenery  is  so  charming.  Should  the  troubles  in  the 
empire  cease,  a journey  from  Yokohama  to  Hiogo  by  land  would  be 
possible.  It  would  be  along  the  Imperial  road,  and  would  give  one 
an  excellent  opportunity  to  see  the  rural  life  of  this  strange  people. 

At  Hiogo  the  steamer  could  be  taken  for  Nagasaki. 

The  distances  from  Yokohama  to  Shanghae  by  steamer,  through 


the  Inland  Sea,  are  as  follows : — 

Miles. 

From  Yokohama  to  Hiogo  ... 

. 

. 355 

Hiogo  to  Straits  of  Si-mo-na-sa-ki  . 

. 

240 

Si-mo-na-sa-ki  to  Nagasaki 

. 

. 150 

Nagasaki  to  Shanghae  .... 

* * 

480 

1,225 

After  having  seen  Eastern  Japan,  there  will  be  nothing  of  partic- 
ular interest  at  Hiogo  or  Nagasaki  to  detain  the  traveller.  The 
steamer  stops  several  hours  in  each  port,  giving  sufficient  opportu- 
nity to  see  the  few  objects  worth  visiting.  At  the  entrance  to  the 
harbor  of  Nagasaki  may  be  seen  the  island  of  Pappenburg,  where 
twenty  thousand  native  Christians  were  pitched  from  a high  preci- 
pice upon  the  rocks  below,  when  Christianity  was  driven  from  the 
empire.  And  at  different  places  along  the  coast  there  is  scenery 
which  will  charm  the  beholder. 

The  run  across  the  Yellow  Sea  from  Nagasaki  to  Shanghae  will 
occupy  two  days,  and  unless  a typhoon  is  encountered,  as  was  the 
case  when  we  made  the  voyage,  it  will  be  a delightful  trip. 

When  the  steamer  drops  anchor  in  the  harbor  of  Shanghae  the 
traveller  will  find  sampans  in  readiness  to  take  him  ashore  and 
coolies  at  the  landing  with  a sedan  to  take  him  to  the  Astor  House, 
a comfortable  hotel  in  the  American  quarter,  overlooking  the  harbor 
with  all  its  lively  scenes.  Shanghae  is  a busy  place,  and  the  mer- 
chants are  as  much  absorbed  in  business  as  those  of  Boston  or  New 
York;  but  they  are  ready  to  show  attentions  to  travellers,  as  are 
the  missionaries  at  Shanghae,  Canton,  Hankow,  and  everywhere 
throughout  China  and  India.  There  are  no  men  so  well  informed  as 
they  upon  the  country  and  people.  They  are  in  daily  contact  with 
the  natives,  speak  the  language  of  the  country,  and  as  a rule  are 
better  informed  in  regard  to  the  habits,  customs,  social  and  religious 
life  of  the  people,  than  those  who  are  engaged  in  trade.  Upon  com- 
mercial matters,  perhaps  their  opinions  would  not  be  of  so  much 
value  as  those  of  the  merchants. 


516 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


An  agreeable  excursion  may  be  made  to  Ningpo,  which  is  situated 
about  one  hundred  miles  southeast  of  Shanghae.  The  steamer 
leaves  late  in  the  afternoon,  and  arrives  at  its  destination  early  in  the 
morning.  Many  fine  pagodas  and  old  temples  exist  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity,  and  there  is  charming  scenery  among  the  hills. 

A longer  excursion  may  be  made  up  the  Yangtse.  A steamer 
leaves  Shanghae  every  other  day  for  Hankow  and  intermediate 
river  ports.  This  trip  will  require  from  seven  to  ten  days,  but  a 
great  deal  may  be  seen  in  that  time. 

The  distances  from  port  to  port  are  as  follows : — 


Shanghae  to  Wusung 

Miles. 

12 

Wusung  to  Chinkiang 

. . 

138 

Chinkiang  to  Nankin 

. , 

. , 

44 

Nankin  to  Kukiang 

, . 

251 

Kukiang  to  Hankow 

• 

• 

. 137 

582 

If  an  excursion  is  made  to  Pekin,  it  should  be  undertaken  in  May 
or  June,  or  in  September  or  October.  If  made  in  July  and  August, 
the  discomforts  will  more  than  counterbalance  the  pleasure.  It  can- 
not be  made  in  the  winter.  It  must  be  remembered  that  as  yet 
there  are  no  comfortable  hotels  in  Northern  China. 

Steamers  leave  Shanghae  every  week  for  the  northern  ports. 
The  first  stopping-place  is  at  Chee-foo,  on  the  promontory  of  Shan- 
tung. The  province,  of  which  this  is  the  chief  commercial  city,  is  a 
little  larger  than  the  State  of  New  York,  and  contains  twenty-eight 
million  inhabitants.  The  winter  is  as  cold  as  in  New  England, 
and  the  ground  is  covered  with  snow  from  December  to  March. 

The  fare  from  Shanghae  to  Chee-foo  is  sixty-six  dollars,  and  the 
voyage  occupies  three  days. 

From  Chee-foo  the  steamer  sails  across  the  Gulf  of  Pechili  to  the 
village  of  Taku,  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Peiho,  and  from  thence 
to  Tientsin,  sixty-seven  miles  up  that  stream. 

Tientsin  has  a population  of  about  four  hundred  thousand.  It  is 
one  of  the  filthiest  cities  in  China,  and  very  unhealthy,  fevers  pre- 
vailing in  the  summer. 

Missionaries  reside  there,  from  whom  travellers  will  always  re- 
ceive courteous  attention. 

It  is  eighty  miles  from  Tientsin  to  Pekin.  There  are  two  routes, 
one  by  boat  to  Tung-chow,  which  is  thirteen  miles  from  the  capital, 
the  other  by  cart  all  the  way  from  Tientsin. 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


517 


The  route  by  the  river  will  require  five  days,  that  by  land  three  ; 
but  the  conveyance  by  water  is  much  the  most  comfortable.  The 
cost  of  a boat  for  the  trip  is  from  seven  to  ten  dollars.  Carters 
charge  for  a cart  and  one  mule  one  dollar  per  day;  two  mules, 
two  dollars. 

There  is  no  harder  riding  than  that  of  a Chinese  cart.  The  wheels 
are  clumsy,  the  body  nailed  to  the  axle,  and  there  is  no  seat,  spring, 
or  cushion.  The  mules  are  harnessed  tandem.  The  road  is  worn 
by  constant  travel,  and  there  are  deep  ruts,  sloughs,  and  miry 
places,  which  the  driver  is  not  careful  to  avoid.  The  only  accom- 
modations for  the  night  will  be  those  furnished  at  the  native  way- 
side  inns. 

More  comfortable  quarters  can  be  had  on  the  river  boats.  The 
thirteen-mile  ride  from  Tung-chow  to  Pekin  will  be  as  much  native 
cart-riding  as  most  travellers  will  care  for. 

Passports  are  needed  from  Tientsin  to  Pekin.  They  may  be  ob- 
tained of  the  consul  at  Tientsin. 

Accommodations  in  the  Imperial  city  can  only  be  had  at  the 
native  inn,  or  with  the  missionaries.  The  distances  are  so  great  in 
Pekin  that  sedans  should  be  hired  by  the  day  to  visit  the  objects  of 
interest. 

The  Great  Wall,  one  of  the  chief  objects  of  interest  in  this  empire, 
is  about  fifty  miles  north  of  the  city. 

It  will  require  five  days  for  an  excursion  to  that  wonderful  struc- 
ture, reared  two  and  a half  centuries  before  the  Christian  era.  This 
and  the  few  temples  in  Pekin  are  the  only  particular  objects  of  in- 
terest in  Northern  China. 

The  round  trip  from  Shanghae  will  require  one  month,  and  the 
expense  will  be  from  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  dol- 
lars. Probably  most  travellers  will  leave  it  out  of  their  programme, 
and  give  their  time  to  other  portions  of  the  route  around  the  world. 

Few  persons  probably  will  wish  to  make  the  trip  to  Pekin  and 
that  to  Hankow.  The  last  named  is  much  more  easily  accomplished 
and  at  a third  of  the  cost. 

If  the  tourist  does  not  wish  to  visit  Pekin,  the  departure  from  San 
Francisco  may  be  delayed  a month. 

The  traveller,  after  seeing  Shanghae  and  Northern  and  Central 
China,  will  proceed  down  the  coast.  Steamers  leave  several  times  a 
week  for  Hong  Kong.  There  are  none  regularly  plying  to  the  in- 
termediate ports ; but  if  any  one  wishes  to  visit  them,  he  can  take  a 
steamer  to  Foochow,  which  is  the  first  great  commercial  city  below 
Shanghae. 


518 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


It  is  situated  on  the  river  Min,  is  the  chief  port  for  the  ship- 
ment of  black  teas,  and  has  a population  of  six  hundred  thousand. 
The  scenery  on  the  Min  is  delightful,  and  there  is  enough  to  inter- 
est a traveller  for  a few  days  in  the  surrounding  country ; but  if  the 
Yangtse  has  been  ascended  to  Hankow,  it  will  hardly  pay  to  stop 
at  Foochow  or  any  of  the  cities  along  the  coast,  inasmuch  as  the 
steamers  have  no  regular  time  for  sailing,  and  the  tourist  may  be 
obliged  to  wait  several  days. 

The  following  table  of  distances  may  be  convenient  for  refer- 


ence : — 

Miles. 

Shanghae  to  Foochow 410 

Foochow  to  Amoy 185 

Amoy  to  Swatow 150 

Swatow  to  Hong  Kong 175 

920 


The  fare  from  Shanghae  to  Hong  Kong  is  seventy  dollars  by 
private  steamer,  and  ninety-five  dollars  by  the  Peninsular  and  Ori- 
ental. It  will  be  considerably  more  than  that  if  a steamer  is  taken 
from  port  to  port.  The  time  is  usually  about  four  days. 

If  the  journey  is  made  in  the  autumn,  when  the  monsoons  blow 
down  the  coast,  the  trip  will  be  very  pleasant.  Sometimes  sailing 
vessels  are  to  be  found  at  Shanghae,  which,  when  the  monsoons 
are  favorable,  make  the  run  as  quickly  as  a steamer,  and  take  pas- 
sengers at  much  lower  rates. 

Good  accommodations  can  be  found  at  the  Hong  Kong  Hotel  for 
four  dollars  a day.  There  was  formerly  a club-house,  where  single 
gentlemen  could  put  up,  and  the  prices  were  somewhat  less. 

The  tourist  should  not  fail  to  ascend  Victoria  Peak,  the  moun- 
tain behind  Hong  Kong,  nor  must  he  omit  a trip  to  the  Happy 
Valley  and  round  the  western  shore  of  the  island.  There  are  few 
places  in  the  world  that  present  such  charming  scenery.  The  trip 
is  made  in  sedans,  with  relays  of  bearers,  which  can  be  obtained  at 
a cheap  rate.  A regular  tariff  is  established  for  sedans  in  the  city; 
but  if  you  wish  to  go  outside  the  limits,  it  is  well  to  make  a bargain 
in  advance. 

Persons  wishing  to  obtain  camphor-wood  trunks,  lacquered-ware, 
carved  ivory,  rice-paper  views,  vases,  or  any  knick-knacks,  will  be 
able  to  trade  cheaper  here  than  at  Canton.  They  will  find  that  the 
Celestials  have  several  prices  for  their  goods,  and  if  no  impatience 
or  hurry  is  manifested  in  making  a bargain,  a great  reduction  in 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


519 


price  may  be  obtained.  The  best  quality  of  silk  gauzes  are  to  be 
found  at  Shanghae,  but  here  and  at  Canton  they  are  to  be  had  also 
crapes  and  grass-cloths. 

The  tourist  is  referred  to  the  chapters  relating  to  Hong  Kong  and 
Canton  for  information  in  regard  to  what  is  to  be  seen  in  those 
places. 

From  Hong  Kong  the  tourist  will  have  a choice  of  routes  and 
steamers.  The  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company  have  steamers 
leaving  every  fortnight,  about  the  7th  and  19th  of  every  month,  for 
Singapore,  Ceylon,  and  Suez,  connecting  at  Ceylon  with  steamers 
up  the  eastern  coast  of  India,  to  Madras  and  Calcutta.  The  Mes- 
sageries  Imperiales  vessels  leave  once  a month  for  Saigon,  in 
Cochin  China,  from  thence  to  Singapore,  Ceylon,  and  Suez.  Two 
of  the  great  mercantile  firms  of  Calcutta  have  steamers  engaged  in 
the  opium  trade,  which  leave  once  a month  for  Singapore,  Penang, 
and  Calcutta,  and  are  run  in  connection  with  the  Pacific  mail  steam- 
ers from  San  Francisco  to  Hong  Kong. 

The  tourist  who  has  plenty  of  time,  by  taking  the  Messageries 
Imperiales  to  Saigon  will  be  able  to  go  on  to  Bankok,  and  see  some- 
thing of  Siam ; but  the  communication  is  not  frequent  between 
that  port  and  Singapore,  and  most  travellers  will  be  likely  to  forego 
the  pleasure  of  a visit  to  that  country. 

Rates  of  fare  by  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental  line  are  as  follows : — 


Hong  Kong  to  Singapore  .... 

$ 140 

“ “ Ceylon  .... 

. 260 

“ “ Madras  via  Ceylon 

307 

“ “ Calcutta  via  Ceylon  . 

. 350 

“ “ Bombay  .... 

300 

“ “ Suez  ..... 

. 460 

The  time  from  Hong  Kong  to  Singapore,  with  the  monsoon  in 
favor,  is  about  six  days. 

Tire  steamer  of  the  Messageries  Imperiales  leaves  Hong  Kong  the 
26th  of  every  month,  making  the  run  to  Saigon  in  four  days,  re- 
maining there  a few  hours,  and  reaching  Singapore  in  three  days,  or 
seven  from  Hong  Kong,  departing  from  that  port  on  the  days 
of  its  arrival  for  .Ceylon,  where  it  arrives  on  the  10th  of  every 
month,  and  reaching  Suez  on  the  26th,  or  just  one  month  from 
Hong  Kong.  During  the  months  of  April,  May,  June,  July,  August, 
and  September,  while  the  southwest  monsoons  are  blowing,  the 
sailing  days  of  all  the  steamers  from  Hong  Kong  are  two  days  in 
advance  of  their  advertised  tables,  but  the  tourist  will  not  need  to 
leave  Hong  Kopg  till  November  for  his  trip  to  India. 


520 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


The  fares  by  this  line  are  about  the  same  as  by  the  Peninsular  and 
Oriental. 

The  fare  by  steamers  plying  direct  to  Calcutta  is  $ 250,  but  there 
is  a deduction  when  purchased  in  connection  with  the  Pacific  mail 
line. 

It  will  be  well  for  travellers  to  map  out  their  route  of  travel  be- 
yond Singapore  before  leaving  Hong  Kong,  as  there  are  several 
routes  from  that  point. 

Those  who  may  wish  to  see  Batavia  can  do  so  by  taking  a Dutch 
steamer  plying  between  Singapore  and  that  city,  making  the  run  in 
three  days.  A fortnight  in  that  island  will  enable  them  to  revel  in 
the  delights  of  tropical  life  at  the  most  charming  season  of  the  year. 
Or  if  not  making  this  trip,  they  may,  by  waiting  a few  days  at  Sin- 
gapore, take  passage  for  Burmah,  where  they  may  see  the  wonder- 
ful temples  of  Rangoon,  and,  if  so  disposed,  shoot  tigers  and  hunt 
wild  elephants.  Steamers  ascend  the  Irawaddy  three  hundred  and 
thirty-four  miles,  touching  at  numerous  towns.  The  fare  is  $ 17. 

The  following  table  will  enable  the  reader  to  see  what  ports  are 
touched  by  the  monthly  line  of  steamers  up  the  Malayan  peninsula 
and  Burmese  coast : — 

Leave  Singapore  . 26th. 

“ Malacca  . 28th. 

“ Penang  ...  . ....  29tli. 

“ Maulmain 3d. 

“ Rangoon '•  5th. 

Arrive  at  Calcutta  . 10th. 

Another  line  of  steamers  plies  regularly  every  fortnight  between 
Maulmain  and  Calcutta,  leaving  Maulmain  on  the  12th  and  28th  of 
each  month. 

Not  having  visited  Burmah  and  Ceylon,  we  can  give  no  notes  of 
personal  observation ; but  from  what  we  have  learned  from  others, 
were  we  again  to  make  the  tour  of  the  world,  Burmah  would  be 
included  in  the  route. 

The  traveller  will  reach  Calcutta  by  one  of  the  three  routes 
already  named,  and  he  should  time  himself  to  be  there  early  in 
December.  If  ho  arrives  by  the  Burmah  route,  and  wishes  to  see 
Southern  India,  he  can  do  so  by  taking  the  Peninsular  and  Oriental 
line,  or  a coast  line  of  steamers  plying  between  Calcutta  and  Bom- 
bay, and  touching  at  all  the  principal  ports.  Landing  at  Madras,  he 
can  cross  the  country  by  rail  to  Beypore  on  the  western  coast ; or, 
taking  the  railway  now  under  construction  from  Madras  to  Bombay, 
may  reach  the  latter  city  with  but  little  dakipg. 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


521 


But  more  pleasurable  than  this  will  be  the  journey  up  the  Ganges 
to  Benares,  Allahabad,  Cawnpore,  Lucknow,  Agra,  Delhi,  and  La- 
hore, to  the  valley  of  the  Indus,  and  thence  by  steamer  down  the 
valley  of  that  stream  to  Kurrachee,  from  whence  there  is  a weekly 
steamer  to  Bombay. 

It  is  probable  that  Lahore,  on  the  Indus,  will  be  placed  in  raifipad 
connection  with  Calcutta  in  1870;  but  a dak  line  is  established  over 
the  portion  of  the  line  not  yet  completed,  and  the  trip  in  December 
or  January  will  be  delightful.  If  this  route  is  taken,  a view  of 
Central  India  can  be  obtained  by  taking  a run  up  the  Nagpore  line; 
or  to  Poonah,  on  the  southwestern  branch  of  the  great  Indian 
Peninsular  Railway. 

The  distances  and  fares  from  Calcutta  to  Delhi  are  as  by  the  fol- 
lowing table : — 


Miles. 

1st  Class. 

2d  Class. 

Calcutta  to  Benares 

640 

S 25 

§ 13 

Benares  to  Allahabad 

629 

30 

15 

Allahabad  to  Agra 

905 

42 

21 

Agra  to  Delhi 

1,017 

48 

24 

The  government  dak  makes ' the  distance  between  Dellii  and 
Umritsur,  the  southern  terminus  of  the  Punjab  Railway,  in  about 
forty  hours. 

The  rate  of  hire  is  fixed  by  government,  and  is  about  four  and  a 
half  cents  a mile ; but,  as  the  dak  is  so  soon  to  be  superseded  by 
the  locomotive  on  this  line,  we  need  not  speak  of  the  expense, 
which  will  be  much  diminished  in  a few  months. 

Reaching  the  Indus,  the  traveller  may  take  passage  on  one  of  the 
steamers  running  on  that  stream  from  Mooltan  to  Kurrachee, 
leaving  the  former  city  on  the  11th  and  25th  of  every  month,  for 
about  sixty  dollars. 

From  Kurrachee  he  may  reach  Bombay  by  the  regular  weekly  line 
of  steamers.  Fare,  $ 50.  A saving  of  time  and  money  may  be  made, 
and  a good  view  of  India  obtained,  by  going  back  from  Delhi 
to  Allahabad,  and  from  thence  proceeding  to  Bombay  wholly  by 
rail. 

W e think  that  most  travellers  will  prefer  such  a route,  as  it  will 
take  them  through  the  finest  parts  and  over  the  most  historical  sec- 
tion of  Hindostan. 

Two  months  in  India  will  suffice  to  give  those  who  have  no  more 
time  to  spare  a fair  view  of  the  country  and  its  people.  Those  who 
wish  to  ascend  the  Nile  should  be  prepared  to  sail  westward  from 
Bombay  not  later  than  the  15th  of  January.  The  water  in  the 


522 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


Nile  is  low  after  the  1st  of  February,  and  the  trip  is  made  to  the 
upper  cataract,  the  temples  of  Edfu  and  Philae,  with  difficulty  after 
that  date. 

The  time  by  steamers  from  Bombay  to  Suez  is  fourteen  days, 
the  fare  three  hundred  dollars.  In  the  spring  they  are  crowded, 
aryl  travellers  will  do  well  to  make  early  application  for  passage. 

The  trip  up  the  Nile,  by  steamer,  from  Cairo,  will  occupy  twenty 
days ; but  the  opening  of  the  railroad  now  under  construction  to 
Thebes  will  reduce  it  nearly  one  half.  The  upper  Nile,  and  what 
is  to  be  seen  around  Cairo,  will  occupy  about  four  weeks. 

From  Egypt  there  is  a choice  of  routes,  as  pointed  out  in  Chapters 
I.  and  XI.  of  this  volume. 

Most  travellers  will  be  likely  to  visit  Palestine,  landing  at  Jaffa  or 
Beyrout.  They  will  be  beset  by  dragomans  at  Cairo  and  Alexandria, 
but  will  do  much  better  by  waiting  till  they  reach  Jerusalem  before 
engaging  their  services.  Horses  may  be  obtained  at  Jaffa  for  the 
ride  to  Jerusalem,  where  accommodations  may  be  found  at  hotels, 
in  the  Russian  Convent,  or  Prussian  Hospice. 

Those  who  do  not  wish  to  make  the  whole  tour  of  the  country 
will  be  able  to  make  the  excursion  to  the  Jordan,  Dead  Sea,  and 
Bethlehem  in  three  days,  and  at  trifling  cost.  If  the  usual  journey 
northward  to  Samaria,  and  Nazareth,  the  Dead  Sea  and  Beyrout,  is 
taken,  the  tourist  will  save  a great  deal  of  money  and  some  annoy- 
ance by  not  taking  a dragoman  till  ready  to  leave  Jerusalem. 

Contracts  with  dragomans  should  be  made  for  a specified  time, 
with  the  privilege  of  extending  it.  The  usual  route  through  Pales- 
tine will  occupy  about  twenty  days,  costing  from  five  to  seven 
dollars  per  day  while  in  the  saddle. 

Sailing  from  Beyrout,  the  traveller  can  proceed  to  Constantinople, 
Athens,  or  Italy.  The  best  months  for  visiting  Palestine  and  Syria 
are  March,  April,  and  the  first  part  of  May,  and  there  is  no  more 
delightful  season  of  the  year  for  the  Bosphorus  or  the  HSgean  Sea 
than  the  month  of  May. 

By  following  the  general  route  which  we  have  thus  indicated,  the 
traveller  starting  from  New  York  in  June  and  journeying  westward 
may  reach  Southern  Europe  in  ten  or  twelve  months,  having  ob- 
tained meanwhile  a good  view  of  the  old  lands  upon  the  other  side 
of  the  globe. 

Full  information  cannot  be  given  in  regard  to  the  cost  of  a journey 
round  the  world,  but  the  following  general  statement  will  enable 
the  tourist  to  estimate  the  probable  amount  required  for  fares, 
reckoned  at  gold  rates : — 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


523 


Now  York  to  San  Francisco 

$100 

San  Francisco  to  Shanghae 

.300 

Hankow  and  return  .... 

100 

Shanghae  to  Hong  Kong 

75 

To  Canton,  Macao,  and  return 

30 

Hong  Kong  to  Calcutta  via  Ceylon  . 

350 

Calcutta  to  Delhi,  second  class 

24 

Return  to  Allahabad  .... 

10 

Allahabad  to  Bombay 

25 

Bombay  to  Suez 

. 300 

Suez  to  Marseilles  .... 

90 

Marseilles  to  London  .... 

20 

London  to  New  York  .... 

130 

$1,554 

Excursions  to  Pekin  and  Batavia  are  not  included  in  the  above 
estimate.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  full  amount  charged  by  the 
Peninsular  and  Oriental  Company  to  Calcutta  via  Ceylon  is  included. 
If  the  Burmah  route  is  taken  the  fare  will  be  about  the  same,  but  if 
the  traveller  chooses  the  direct  route  from  Singapore  to  Calcutta  it 
will  be  $ 100  less.  The  statement  is  based  on  the  supposition  that 
the  railroad  will  be  completed  from  Allahabad  to  Bombay,  and  that 
the  traveller  will  return  from  Delhi  to  Allahabad,  and  proceed  across 
the  country  to  Bombay,  instead  of  going  on  to  Lucknow' and  down 
the  Indus  to  Kurrachee  and  Bombay.  If  the  last  route  is  taken, 
about  $ 100  must  be  added  to  the  amount  as  already  summed  up. 

The  cost  by  the  direct  route  from  Suez  to  London  is  given,  first- 
class  fare.  But  the  tourist  will  be  likely  to  visit  Constantinople  and 
Athens,  and  go  up  the  Danube  or  the  Adriatic,  or  pass  round  the 
southern  shore  of  Italy  to  Naples,  and  proceed  to  Central  Europe. 

A liberal  estimate  for  fares  in  circuipnavigating  the  globe  will 
make  the  required  amount  from  eighteen  hundred  to  two  thousand 
dollars.  To  this  must  be  added  the  cost  of  living,  which  will  be 
about  the  same  when  on  shore  as  at  first-class  hotels  in  the  United 
States.  When  at  sea  there  will  be  the  steward’s  fees  in  addition 
to  the  fare,  — a trifling  matter. 

If  the  departure  from  San  Francisco  is  made  in  August,  Suez  will 
be  reached  about  the  last  of  February.  Seventy  days  will  have 
been  passed  on  ocean  and  river  steamers,  leaving  one  hundred  and 
thirty  days  for  the  land. 

Reckoning  hotel  bills  at  four  dollars  per  day,  the  aggregate  is  five 
hundred  and  twenty  dollars.  Forty  days  may  be  spent  in  Palestine 
and  Syria,  at  a cost  of  two  hundred  dollars. 


524 


SUPPLEMENTARY. 


If  the  traveller  intends  to  make  the  tour  of  the  world  in  fifteen 
months  he  will  have  about  seven  months  in  Europe,  which  at  five 
dollars  per  day  will  amount  to  one  thousand  and  fifty  dollars.  Sum- 
ming up  all  the  aggregates,  it  will  be  seen  that  a liberal  estimate 
makes  the  total  cost  from  thirty-five  to  thirty-eight  hundred  dollars. 

This  does  not  include  the  cost  of  a trip  to  Yosemite  or  other 
expenses  in  California.  If  through  tickets  can  be  purchased  of  the 
Pacific  Mail  and  Peninsular  and  Oriental  Companies,  permitting  the 
traveller  to  lie  over  at  different  points,  it  will  reduce  the  aggregate 
by  several  hundred  dollars. 

Whatever  the  expense  may  be,  those  having  leisure  and  means  to 
make  the  tour  of  the  world,  if  they  time  their  journey  to  be  in  each 
country  at  the  best  season,  will  not  be  likely  to  regret  the  under- 
taking. 


THE  END. 


University  Press,  Cambridge : Printed  by  Welch,  Bigelow,  & Co. 


